TEXAS — It’s been a challenging year for the cattle industry both across the country and in the Lone Star State, with producers facing tightened supplies after drought, increased production costs and New World screwworm. Now, as efforts to lower beef prices continue, ranchers are raising concerns.
Managing hundreds of animals is never an easy feat.
Ranger Cattle owner, Joshua Eilers, says this year has been one of the most difficult.
“The challenges just keep piling up,” Eilers said. “The industry just seems to get harder and harder.”
The Trump administration’s latest effort to boost the meat industry is an executive order that supports small and medium meatpackers to improve market competition and give producers more choices.
The push to expand beef processing comes after the administration also announced a temporary pause on beef import tariffs.
Agricultural economic experts say the pause doesn’t address two of the industry’s biggest problems: record low cattle herds and record high production costs.
Professor and director of the Center for North American Studies at Texas A&M University, Luis Ribera explained, “input costs are higher.”
“Just bringing the imported beef, it basically reduced the price that they could get, but their cost is still the same,” said Ribera.
As a rancher and beef producer, Eilers says it’s already costing his operation about $50,000 a month. He says the announcement has sent the cattle futures market declining.
“It’s serious numbers,” said Eilers.
For now, Eilers plans on doing the best he can for as long as he can.
“This is not long-term sustainable,” he said. “We’ve got to see relief somewhere.”
Producers anticipate the uncertainty will continue even after the pause on beef import tariffs ends on Nov. 30.