Last year, several pieces of legislation were introduced in Congress, with the principal aim of increasing the level of negotiated cash trade. The cattle industry responded to the proposed legislation by creating a voluntary framework, known as the 75% rule, which includes cattle feeder and packing plant triggers based on levels of negotiated trade and marketplace participation. The overarching objective is similar to the introduced legislation — to increase the frequency and price transparency in all major cattle feeding and packing regions.

Elliott Dennis, assistant professor and livestock economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, reviews how regions have responded to the requirements set by the voluntary framework, which went into effect on Jan. 1. 

More information can be found in an article by Dr. Dennis at cap.unl.edu.