Attorney generals from 11 states, along with agricultural organizations and Congressional members, are calling for a federal investigation into the beef market. “There is great diversity between the price of finished cattle coming out of feedyards and going to packers and the boxed beef prices coming from those packing plants,” says North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenejhem. “With four companies controlling 80 percent of U.S. beef processing, the beef market lacks full and fair competition.” The Livestock Marketing Association is just one of the several organizations focusing on pricing investigations. Association Vice President Larry Schnell, who co-owns Stockmen’s Livestock Exchange at Dickinson, North Dakota, says cattle producers and feeders are not getting their fair share of the beef dollar. “There is a $600 per head spread between what the prices should be and what they really are right now.” Stenehjem explains that the legal aspects of the investigation certainly take time. “This is a very complex area of law and the facts need to be developed.” Get the full details by listening to the RRFN story.