DALLAS, Texas (Reuters) – The great Texas drought may be ending but the great recession is still taking a bite out of a leaner cattle herd that will take a long time to rebuild.
U.S. cattle producers have been laid low by the sluggish economy, and the national herd is in its third straight year of decline.
In parts of Texas, home to America’s largest herd, an historic drought has made tough times even tougher.
The U.S. cattle herd was at a 36-year low in June.
Supplies at feedlots show signs of improving but remain low historically. The contraction and rebound may take even longer in drought-stricken Texas, which in January 2009 was home to 40 percent of the state and six percent of the national herd.
