LUBBOCK, TEXAS (RFD-TV) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will add a new regional cash cattle report beginning October 26, combining existing market data from Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas to improve price transparency for producers.
The Agricultural Marketing Service says negotiated cash cattle trade has fallen sharply as formula-based purchasing expanded. Cash purchases accounted for more than 50% of transactions in 2005 but less than 18% in 2025.
USDA says the decline has reduced the number of reportable cash transactions and created confidentiality limits that can restrict the usefulness of existing price reports. Negotiated cash prices remain important because they are used as benchmarks for many formula-based cattle purchases.
The new report will aggregate data already collected through Livestock Mandatory Reporting. Covered packers will not face additional reporting requirements under the change.
USDA says the goal is to provide ranchers, feeders, packers, and other market participants with more meaningful regional cash price information. The change improves reporting but does not increase the amount of cattle sold through negotiated cash trade.
