Central ND News

At a recent Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Senator John Hoeven discussed initiatives aimed at enhancing market opportunities for the U.S. cattle industry. The session included discussions with Dudley Hoskins, nominated to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

Hoeven emphasized the importance of fully enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act to ensure competitive and transparent cattle markets. As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, he has worked to secure additional funding for the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to enforce this law and investigate anti-competitive practices. Hoskins pointed out the Cattle Contract Library pilot program established by Hoeven as a means to increase price transparency for cattle producers.

Additionally, Hoeven highlighted efforts to secure fair access to foreign markets for U.S. beef producers while countering artificial barriers affecting U.S. exports. This aligns with his work to bolster the domestic market for U.S.-produced beef, including introducing bipartisan legislation to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef.

“There is a real need for greater price discovery in cattle markets, which would provide our ranchers with more transparency and access to a more competitive market. That’s a win for both producers and consumers,” said Hoeven “Between our efforts to ensure enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, advance my Cattle Contract Library pilot program and reinstate MCOOL, we’re working to strengthen the U.S. domestic cattle market. At the same time, we need to remove artificial trade barriers used to block U.S. livestock producers from accessing foreign markets. That’s why we support the Trump administration as it works to secure better trade deals for U.S. ag producers. We look forward to working with Mr. Hoskins to continue advancing these priorities.”

Furthermore, Hoeven invited Dr. Scott Hutchins, nominated as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics, to visit North Dakota. The invitation aims at showcasing:

The state's leadership in precision agriculture technology development through innovative projects under the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) partnership at Grand Farm.

The Agricultural Risk Policy Center (ARPC) at North Dakota State University (NDSU), which Hoeven helped establish. The center will address farm and agribusiness challenges through detailed policy and economic analysis.