When it comes to helping livestock producers with COVID-19 aid, South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson says the USDA wants to get it right. “I think this will be a data-driven process to determine the right support levels for different commodity groups.” Whatever is decided, Johnson says it’s important to not impact price discovery. “Right now, packer margins don’t need help. If support is delivered in the wrong way, it could be hard to make sure it stays in the pockets of cattle producers,” he says. “Some of the mechanisms or proposals already out there could negatively impact the prices the cow-calf folks get.”
