The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it will continue the Cattle Contracts Library Pilot Program in its present form in order to continue reporting vital market information for farmers and ranchers while gathering additional information on the effectiveness of the pilot.

The current pilot supports market transparency by providing the cattle and beef sectors information about contract terms offered by packers to producers for the purchase of cattle. AMS established the pilot and outlined the requirements for covered packers in a final rule published Dec. 7, 2022, and the library was made available to the public on Jan. 31, 2023.

The pilot was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. Although funding provided by Congress for the pilot has ended, the final rule remains in effect and USDA will maintain the current version to the extent that limited existing resources allow.

"USDA appreciates the extensive stakeholder feedback received via listening sessions over the last year. Any enhancements or adjustments to the library will be made if and when additional funding resources are provided by Congress," the agency says.

More information about the program can be found here.