THREAD:
I get the anger/frustration over boxes v live spread. I'm unsure what a packer can/should do to signal to cattle industry to slow production. If they paid 180 live as some think they should, how would cattle industry react? doubt it would be to slow production. 1/

I'm not educated on how boxes are priced, if there's any kind of bidding or if it's just offered at these levels or what. But it seems logical that if there's a bottleneck at the packing plant, it would affect upstream and downstream both. 2/

As to packer margins, I would be interested in knowing what their net is right now. If they are killing fewer their overhead would be greater per hd. I would like to see more competition in the packing sector, so I hope they can make money at what they do. 3/

If we expect a packer to operate at break even or just slightly better, it's going to be tough getting more participants into that sector. I realize red tape is a significant barrier to entry for any scale plant, hope that is addressed sooner than later. 4/

I think we need to be careful about comparing $/hd in packing sector to $/hd on the cattle side. I'm not sure it's apples to apples. Very different businesses in almost every way. I'm not defending all packers. I agree there are changes that could be made to help cattle guys 5/

and help new startups in pking sector. I hope as an industry we can control our emotions, think critically, and move forward with the foresight to see unintended consequences before making big policy changes. 6/

I don't expect anyone has all the answers at this point, and I am suspicious when someone says they do, or that "all we need is x" and everything will be better. 7/

I urge my fellow cattle raisers to set aside our emotions, look at the situation from all angles, and consider 2nd-order effects of solutions being proposed. Be open to new ideas, refrain from demonizing those with opposite views. Debate with respect. Avoid oversimplification. 8/

We all hate the partisan bickering in DC. Let's do better in our dialogue. A lot will need to be addressed so we better learn how to talk to each other. 9/

One thing I would very much like is to hear more from the packer and downstream as to what's going on. I've appreciated @KINGS1973 and @the_meat_lady over the past weeks sharing their perspective, it's been helpful understanding the supply chain better. 10/

It's Saturday and I'm going to spend the rest of it with my family. Don't be offended if I don't like or reply until Monday. 11/end