Cattle prices improved this year, but not nearly as much as hamburger and steak prices rose in the supermarket. The ongoing discrepancy is weighing on cow/calf producers, according to agricultural commentator Kevin Hursh, who says older cattlemen are retiring, and some younger producers are re-evaluating their operations. Hursh says it’s a simple matter of economics—profit margins for grains and oilseeds are better than raising cattle.
