The Elkhart Ranch is a working cattle spread south of Dallas.2:00 AM on Dec 29, 2021 CST — Updated at 7:23 AM on Dec 29, 2021 CST
Anyone who goes grocery shopping for their family knows that the cost of beef, pork and chicken has been rising at alarming rates. It’s become clear that those increases aren’t solely attributable to problems related to the pandemic or the national supply chain struggle. Hugh Abell, president of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, told us that “over the last 18-24 months, meatpackers have made record profits while cattle raisers struggle to keep their operations afloat. 2021 will have the fourth-largest beef cattle slaughter in the past 22 years, suggesting that cattle producers are selling off their herds in response to drought and unprofitability.