New Mexico ranchers are experiencing record-low cattle numbers, which will eventually lead to higher prices for meat this holiday season.
The persistent drought has impacted the ability to maintain healthy female cattle, the key to steady production.
“There has not been much heifer retention for the last several years due to the drought and that’s not only here in New Mexico but across the western states,” New Mexico Cattle Growers Association President Loren Patterson told KRQE recently.
A sufficient amount of rain is needed to grow enough grass for cattle to flourish. The drought has led to a seven-year high in the cost for a head of cattle.
“We’re seeing significant pressure on our input costs: the cost of fuel the cost of production the cost of fertilizer,” Patterson said.
The drought combined with inflation means conditions won’t change anytime soon. Meat prices are expected to increase by the start of the new year.
Patterson predicted that it’s going to take five to ten years before the ranchers can rebuild their numbers, because it takes at least two years for cattle to get old enough to reproduce or be slaughtered for the market.
“The cost of everything going into the farm and ranch is nearly doubled, and it’s going to trickle down to you guys as a market eventually,” he said.
But Patterson noted that the state’s ranchers will continue to produce as much beef as they can.
“We still have good grass here in New Mexico, so we’ll keep producing cattle in some form or shape or way,” he said.