USDA Settles a Packers and Stockyards Case against Circle C Land, Cattle & Equine LLC, dba Cattlemen’s Livestock Exchange, and Jeremy Cox

Date
Thursday, September 1, 2022 - 9:30am
Contact Info
Release No.
131-22

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a stipulation agreement with Circle C Land, Cattle & Equine, LLC, doing business as Cattlemen’s Livestock Exchange (Circle C), and Jeremy Cox (Cox) of Independence, Ark., on June 27, 2022, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation agreement, Circle C and Cox waived their rights to a hearing and paid a civil penalty of $3,250.

An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) found that Circle C and Cox had custodial account shortages on Jan. 14, 2022, and March 4, 2022, of $112,263 and $86,653, respectively. Circle C misused the custodial account by using funds to repay its Line of Credit.

A custodial account is a trust account designated for shippers’ proceeds from the sale of livestock in trust for sellers. Failure to reimburse the custodial account timely is a violation of the Packers & Stockyards Act and regulations.

The P&S Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties up to $29,616 per violation against any person after notice and opportunity for a hearing on the record. USDA may offer alleged violators the option of waiving their right to a hearing and enter into a stipulation agreement to resolve alleged violations quickly.

The P&S Act is a fair-trade practice and payment protection law that promotes fair and competitive marketing environments for the livestock, meat and poultry industries.

For further information about the Packers and Stockyards Act, contact Kraig Roesch, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (303) 375-4291 or by email at kraig.roesch@usda.gov.

#

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter
@USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender