USDA Updates Livestock Mandatory Reporting: New Five-State Cash Cattle Report From October 26 to Boost Market Transparency
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on October 21 announced an update to the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) cash cattle reports, aimed at increasing transparency and consistency in cattle market price information. The action advances President Trump's executive orders on supporting American ranchers and promoting fair competition in livestock markets and expanding market access for American meat producers.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said President Trump tasked the department with bringing clarity and consistency to cattle markets and protecting rancher viability, and that reliable, transparent price information is critical to a well-functioning cattle market. USDA said negotiated cash trade has fallen sharply as industry practices shifted toward formula-based purchasing: cash purchases dropped from over 50 percent of transactions in 2005 to under 18 percent in 2025. Because those cash purchases form the baseline for many formula transactions, the drop limited reportable transactions and created confidentiality challenges.
Beginning with the afternoon reports on Monday, October 26, 2026, AMS will introduce an additional regional report combining existing LMR data from Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Covered packers will not be required to do any extra reporting.
(Based on the USDA press release)
Source: 农业部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国牧场牛群资料图。图：经开放授权图库。 / File photo: cattle on an American ranch. Via an open-license library.
