What is the future of beef cattle?

Answer 1

Not good, especially if markets continue to decline and feed, fertilizer and fuel prices continue to increase. Competitors like poultry, fish and pork are pretty well taking over the meat market because of better consistency and health of the product. Beef, on the other hand is not as consistent and has taken a lot of beating from health organizations and environmental groups as being both unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable. Canadian beef is far more inconsistent as far as meat quality is concerned than American beef or even Australian and New Zealand beef, and thus is quickly loosing ground and popularity.

Unless more and more ranchers become more progressive and start targeting the niche market for grass-fed beef or natural beef and strive to provide a more consistent product, the beef cattle industry will be a minor industry like that for sheep and goats and more for those ranchers and farmers who like raising cattle as a hobby or to fill their own freezers. The feedlot industry is just not cutting it anymore, not in this day and age with more health-minded people and a greater concern for the health of the environment. Something has to give, one way or another.

In a more localized sense, the beef business is loosing ground because there just isn't any money in it anymore, especially not with the conventional ways of raising cattle. More and more kids are heading to the cities for better jobs, not wanting to stay to take over the ranch because life is just too hard, with little pay coming from selling the calves in the fall or spring, and with so much input that has to be put in to the cattle ranch. Like what was mentioned above, raising cattle is becoming more of a hobby than a business. You can't get in the cattle industry without not making any money.