Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices : NPR

A number of factors have been pushing livestock numbers down, including rising costs, drought, international competition and increased consolidation in the cattle industry. Now, there are fewer American farmers and ranchers than there were even a few years ago, according to Bill Bullard, CEO of the cattle and sheep producers group R-CALF USA. "We have likewise lost the cows that they once maintained," he said. "So we have seen our herd shrink at an alarming rate for the past several decades."…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/05/29/nx-s1-5719511/beef-cattle-herd-food-prices