As a producer, I'm going to go against my fellow producers and say, yes, packers should own cattle. They definitely own cattle as soon as they come into the plant. Should they own them one week out, two weeks out, or six months out when they go into a feedlot? Many feedlotters in the province of Quebec contract their cattle when they buy them so that they know what their sale price is going to be.
I see nothing wrong with that system.