As the agriculture industry moves forward from the struggles of 2020, the big question is, “What does the future hold?”
The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association says that one of the biggest things to address in the livestock industry is how packing companies behave as monopolies.
The group says that extremely high profits for four companies should be the first red flag.
The association’s president, Tom Sharp, states, “While the producer who is at a two year proposition from the time he plans and produces and raises and feeds the cattle that are eventually brought to market, he’s not enjoying any increase in profit margins. Most of our producers are barely able to stay afloat, and stay in business at either a loss or a breaking even point.”
He says that those four companies are responsible for 80 percent of production and that he is optimistic for 2021 with the vaccine being pivotal for the beef industry.
