Cattle crisis as production plummets to decades-low level, rancher warns: 'Biden policies hurting America's cattlemen,' consumers going to pay the price



As production of cattle has plummeted to its lowest levels in decades, a rancher is warning that Americans are "going to pay the price" for the beef supply hitting a crisis point.

"This is a bad situation for America's cattle farmers and America because we're producing 1 billion pounds less beef than we were in this country, just a year ago," John Boyd, Jr. – president of the National Black Farmers Association – said during a Thursday interview on "Fox & Friends First."

Boyd has been farming and producing beef for 41 years, and he stressed, "I'm telling you, this is a time when we should be investing in America's cattle, and we're not doing it."

"We're not investing in America's beef and cattle farmers, and Biden policies are hurting America's cattlemen, such as myself," he continued. "They should be invested in America's cattle farmers and making sure that we have the tools needed to stay on the farm."

Boyd noted that there were empty stalls last week at a "very good" cattle market near his home in Blackstone, Virginia. He blamed the alarming situation on American ranchers "not producing the beef that we used to."

Boyd warned that the lack of production will cause price spikes.

"Americans are going to pay the price at their local grocery stores," he stated.

"We already are seeing such a steep, hike and beef in this country," Boyd said. "And it's because we're not supporting these cattlemen such as myself… the Biden administration, isn't paying attention [to] this national crisis. This is a national crisis for America's cattlemen, and this administration has turned a blind and a deaf ear to something that needs immediate attention."

USDA’s biannual Cattle Inventory Report showed that the country's cattle herd totaled 87.2 million head as of Jan. 1, 2024. This figure is down roughly 2% from last year's crop, and the lowest herd size in 73 years.

Fox Business reported, "Agricultural economists say persistent drought over the last three years, along with high input costs and inflation are putting pressure on both consumers and farmers."

American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Bernt Nelson told the Southern Farm Network, "The combination of higher input prices and drought drove farmers and ranchers to market more cattle, and not just more cattle but more female cattle that are responsible for replacing the beef herd. Now, we’re looking at a beef herd of about 28.2 million head. Amongst that we have a calf crop that is 33.6 million. Now this is down two percent, but it’s the smallest calf crop since 1948. That’s in 76 years."

Nelson said the current pipeline for beef supplies is "strong," but cautioned "as that supply begins to dry up, that’s when we are going to see beef supplies start to get tighter and tighter, and this could lead to the record prices that I think are going to occur in 2024 and 2025."

Beef sold for an average of $5 per pound last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Mark Zuckerberg says cattle he's raising on a Hawaiian island will 'grow up eating macadamia meal and drinking beer'



Mark Zuckerberg said that he is raising cattle on the Hawaiian island of Kauai with the objective of making some of the best beef on earth. He noted that the animals will be raised consuming beer and macadamia meal.

"Started raising cattle at Ko'olau Ranch on Kauai, and my goal is to create some of the highest quality beef in the world. The cattle are wagyu and angus, and they'll grow up eating macadamia meal and drinking beer that we grow and produce here on the ranch. We want the whole process to be local and vertically integrated," he noted on social media.

"Each cow eats 5,000-10,000 pounds of food each year, so that's a lot of acres of macadamia trees. My daughters help plant the mac trees and take care of our different animals. We're still early in the journey and it's fun improving on it every season. Of all my projects, this is the most delicious," he wrote

Zuckerberg, the uber-wealthy founder, chairman, and CEO of Big Tech behemoth Meta, was also involved in fighting, but announced last year that he had undergone surgery after tearing his ACL.

"Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it. Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that's delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover," he posted in November.

In a post earlier this week, Zuckerberg shared a video of a catapult launching an object. "Always be building #7386. Catapult competition, round 2," he wrote.

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Officials bewildered by Texas cattle having genitalia and tongues removed with 'precision' cuts, no blood or tracks left behind



Officials in Texas are bewildered by several cattle that mysteriously had their tongues and genitalia removed. There was no blood or signs of struggle anywhere near the dead cattle.

This week, six cattle were found dead under mysterious circumstances across Madison County, Texas. Ranchers first found a 6-year-old longhorn-cross cow "lying on her side, deceased, and mutilated on their ranch."

The Madison County Sheriff's Office issued a statement regarding the suspicious cattle deaths.

"A straight, clean cut, with apparent precision, had been made to remove the hide around the cow’s mouth on one side, leaving the meat under the removed hide untouched," the Madison County Sheriff's Office said. "The tongue was also completely removed from the body with no blood spill."

The police noted that there were no signs of struggle, footprints, or tire tracks near the mutilated animal.

"Ranchers also reported that no predators or birds would scavenge the remains of the cow, leaving it to decay untouched for several weeks," the statement continued.

The police revealed that five other cattle deaths were eerily similar.

The Madison County Sheriff's Office stated, "The other cows were found in the same condition, lying on one side with the exposed side of their face cut along the jaw line and the tongue, once again, completely removed."

Again, there were signs of struggle or evidence of blood near these mutilated cattle, and no other animals scavenged the five dead cattle for several weeks.

Two of the five cows had a circular cut that removed "the anus and the external genitalia." Police explained that these cuts were made with the same precision that was made on the jaws of the other mangled cattle.

All of the cattle were found along a highway in three counties — Madison, Brazos, and Robertson. Each animal was reportedly part of a different herd, and in a different pasture.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of death of all six cattle.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information regarding the suspicious cattle deaths to call 936-348-2755.

In 2019, five bulls were found dead in Oregon with tongues and genitalia removed. There were no tracks or blood found near the dead animals.

In 2021, seven cattle were found mutilated on a ranch in Oregon. The Associated Press reported, "In most cases, the dead animal’s sex organs, tongue or eyes are cut away cleanly and there is no blood."

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