AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Cattle numbers in Texas are at an all-time low, and feedlots, dairies and meat packers in the Panhandle are quickly having to learn how to produce more with less.
The lower the cattle numbers go, the higher the prices get.
“We’re at a point where we have to find those cattle numbers from somewhere, and the border not being open to the Mexican cattle to come across has a big impact — not only on our cattle numbers but also the cattle prices as well,” said Jeff Lewter, USDA district conservationist.
The New World Screwworm and the borders closing down are not the only reasons cattle numbers have dropped.
Although the Texas Panhandle wildfires were over a year ago, they still have a lasting impact.
“It takes two to three years for those grasses to recover, and