The cost of doing business has become increasingly difficult for some cattle ranchers, even as the price of beef has reached record highs. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. lost 9,000 beef operations from 2009 to 2010, and the national cattle inventory is at its lowest since 1952, reports Stacy Finz of the San Francisco Chronicle. As of Jan. 1, the head count of beef cattle dropped 3 percent to 29.9 million, and the dwindling supply is costing consumers an average 10 percent more per pound last year.
California Cattlemen's Association President Kevin Kester told Finz expenses are increasing with demand, which "hasn't faltered." The price of feeder calves is expected to rise this year, and the market for U.S. beef is rising overseas, with 14 percent exported last year. Ranchers, experts and the USDA say there are several reasons for beef cattle decline: loss of grazing land due to development, high feed prices, drought, and aging ranchers whose children don't want to take over the business. (Read more)
California Cattlemen's Association President Kevin Kester told Finz expenses are increasing with demand, which "hasn't faltered." The price of feeder calves is expected to rise this year, and the market for U.S. beef is rising overseas, with 14 percent exported last year. Ranchers, experts and the USDA say there are several reasons for beef cattle decline: loss of grazing land due to development, high feed prices, drought, and aging ranchers whose children don't want to take over the business. (Read more)
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