Beef cow herds in the U. S. shrank by more than 1 million over the past year, dropping to the lowest levels since 1962. The number of beef cows in Kansas dropped by 7% in the past year, about twice the National average. Drought has killed pasture grass across the state and ranchers have had to sell cattle early just to keep their operations afloat. That means there’ll be less cattle going to market later this year, likely increasing beef prices at the grocery store. Kansas Livestock Association Spokesperson, Scarlett Hagins, says that since raising cattle takes time, there’s no telling when Kansas ranchers will get back to where they were, saying it could take years, once moisture comes back. The loss of beef cows hits ranchers especially hard, because those are the female cattle that would produce the calves needed to grow their herds in the coming years.
For Kansas ranchers, the drought conditions haven’t been better this year and has been an ongoing issue across the country. Nationally, the country’s beef cow herds shrank by almost 4% since last year, but in Kansas, the number fell by 7%.
