[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CATTLE COUNTRY NEEDS USDA'S MARKET INVESTIGATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, this is a town where 
investigations can last for years, and sometimes, they cost millions. 
There are other investigations that are insignificant, little things. 
They are just meant to check a box so we can move onto the next task.
  Yes, I think we all know that, in D.C., there are two types of 
investigations, investigations that are for show and investigations 
that are for real. Well, in cattle country, we need an investigation 
for real.
  Times have been tough, really tough for cattle producers, especially 
the last couple of years. The producers that I know, they don't ask for 
guarantees or handouts. All that they want is a fair chance to earn a 
living. Unfortunately, prices have been soft, and those producers 
aren't sure that the market is accurately applying margin to our 
feeders and to our ranchers.
  Following the Holcomb fire, the market experienced extreme 
volatility. The producers that I know, smart and savvy professionals, 
are telling me that what happened in that aftermath did real damage to 
the viability of their businesses and to their way of life.
  That is why I was grateful to see USDA, under the Packers and 
Stockyards Act, open up an investigation into the cattle market. An 
investigation like that does not happen every day, and it has folks in 
South Dakota anxiously awaiting the results. I know that I am.
  What I have seen so far, what I have heard so far from USDA, gives me 
a good feeling that they are conducting this investigation for real, 
that they are working hard to gather and analyze the pertinent data. 
They want to get to the bottom of this. They want to determine to what 
extent, if any, there were unfair trade practices or market 
manipulation.
  That kind of a determination, Mr. Speaker, won't be easy. It will 
require real effort, real persistence, a real willingness to dig deep.
  As I said at the beginning, there are two types of investigations in 
this town, those that are for show and those that are for real. It 
looks like USDA is conducting this investigation for real, and thank 
goodness for that, because our cow-calf folks deserve that, our feeders 
deserve that, and, Mr. Speaker, our country deserves that.

                          ____________________