NEWS

The spread of COVID-19 has caused shifts in the beef demand structure; coupled with global economic uncertainty, it is affecting the entire beef supply chain.

A large area of low-level drought is building in the West from western Kansas to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Some of the worst drought areas are in Colorado and surrounding regions and in Oregon.

COVID-19 began impacting workers at beef packing plants in early April. In the last five weeks, cattle slaughter decreased by an average of 27%. This compares to the previous five weeks in March, when cattle slaughter averaged 5.5% higher than year-ago levels.

When it's time to work cattle, most ranchers bring the cattle to the corral, not the other way around. 

President Donald Trump announced on May 6 he is urging the Department of Justice to probe further into packing companies and concerns about prices paid for beef and pork during the novel coronavirus outbreak.