How Is NWS Impacting Northwest Cattle?

At its closest, the Pacific Northwest is at least 800 miles from the U.S./Mexico border, so New World Screwworm may not seem like an issue for the local cattle industry.

But Cameron Mulrony with the Idaho Cattle Association says that’s not the case. The Executive Vice President said the closure of the U.S./Mexico border, impacted the American feeder cattle supply, nationwide. He added feedyards that typically draw from Mexico are now looking north to get their animals.

Photo: USDA

Price Are Moving Up Across The Board

“It's creating competition in the markets. We see that right now," Mulrony said. "We're seeing higher prices. We're seeing day old calves bringing $1,200, $1,300, $1,400 at the sale barn. We're seeing record prices all across the nation for different classes of cattle. Part of what is doing that is that impact on feeder supply.”

Mulrony added it’s also impacting efforts to rebuild the size of the national herd.

“If folks maybe were going to retain some heifers, or they were going to buy some heifers and save 10 to breed back, they have enough value at this point and there's enough demand by those feeders, those heifers are going into the chain," Mulrony said. "They're not staying in the cow herd. So, there's no incentive to breed a cow or hold a cow over and breed her. If she misses a year, there's good incentive to send them through the processing chain. But it's compounding the whole supply issue that's put us in the spot in the cattle cycle we are, from a consumer standpoint. It's great from a cow-calf standpoint; you know, we're seeing great prices, which is allowing for good return and hopefully some of these guys to heal up from times where they maybe were operating in the negative."