Madill: Our Producers Made 2024 Successful

For a variety of reasons, whether it was the size of the herd, or beef prices, 2024 was a good year for many cattle producers not only regionally but across the U.S.

“I think that 2024 has been a generally very strong year for beef producers across the board," said Jackie Madill, Executive Director of the Washington state Beef Commission.  "We're seeing pretty steady cattle numbers here in the Pacific Northwest, whereas I recognize you know some of our neighboring states and certainly in the South and Southwest region, the cattle herd has definitely shrunk significantly. But here in the Pacific Northwest, I think we have a very stable industry."

Madill added Cattle ranchers are hardy folk who know how to make things stretch during the lean times, but also appreciate the importance of investing in the industry when times are good.

"We have really incredible producers. Investing their operations, investing in technology, sustaining their family, businesses and I think in a lot of ways really finding a lot of success from a business standpoint.  They love what they do and that makes it really easy to work for our farmers and ranchers here in Washington state.”

Madill added the heart and soul of the beef industry was on display last month during the 15th  annual Beef Counts event where the industry provided nearly 2,000 pounds of fresh ground beef to families in need across central and eastern Washington.

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