A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) examines the conditions influencing beef prices over the last year — which saw record disparity between the prices farmers received for their cattle and the price of boxed beef — but doesn't include any discovery of wrongdoing by meat packers.

“As Iowa farmers suffer through a prolonged downturned ag economy and severe economic hardship resulting in concerns about livestock markets, the USDA Boxed Beef and Fed Cattle Price Spread Investigation Report calling for more transparency, particularly in pricing, is a welcomed first step to address industry-wide concerns,” said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) President Craig Hill. “Supply chain...