BILLINGS, MT (November 21, 2016) –The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service is conducting a series of structured stakeholder meetings last week to seek feedback on current livestock and meat marketing methods and the Livestock Mandatory Reporting program. The first stakeholder meeting was held Nov. 15-16 in Washington, D.C.
This first informational meeting will establish the procedural ground rules and help lay the groundwork for subsequent commodity-specific meetings by clarifying the goals and objectives. AMS will provide stakeholders with an overview of current LMR reporting and audit processes. Stakeholders will participate in interest-based problem-solving training and identify possible dates for future meetings.
Montana rancher Larry Switzer represented the American Farm Bureau Federation at the meeting and the Northern Ag Network’s Russell Nemetz talked with him after the first meeting.
Separate focus group meetings for sheep, lamb and imported lamb, cattle and beef, and swine and pork will be held starting in the spring of 2017 after many of these industries' trade associations hold their annual meetings and conventions, and gather input from their membership.
The following industry organizations have volunteered to participate in this process: American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sheep Industry Association, CME Group, Livestock Marketing Association, Livestock Marketing Information Center, Meat Importers Council of America, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Farmers Union, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Institute, R-CALF USA, Southwest Meat Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and U.S. Cattlemen.
By March 1, 2018, USDA will submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing the findings of this study.
Source: Russell Nemetz-Northern Ag Network
