08/26/2026
“There went the football one more time.”
The US cow herd is near a 75 year low. Rebuilding it means a producer holds back heifers instead of cashing in at a high market, develops them, breeds them, and waits about three years for that decision to become beef. Dr. Rich Brazil Rich Brazil, DVM says producers have watched the ball get pulled away enough times to be wary.
Then Trump announced he’s bringing in 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings, 90 days, no out of quota tariff.
If we want more food grown here, somebody has to make the case for why it might cost more. I believe that’s what the Trump administration has been trying to facilitate, and I applaud that. Those of us who talk about these issues have to be willing to make the case to the American people. Otherwise “affordability” becomes the only story.
Full episode of Ranch Beat is out now, with Dr. Rich Brazil and Grace Brazil on the lactating steer study, the import announcement, MCOOL, and one veterinary story about potbellied pigs that I simply cannot summarize here. Link in bio, or search UNWON wherever you get your podcasts!
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