The fires in Texas killed a lot of cattle, but was it enough to break your budget?

The Fires

The fires in Texas were devasting and many stories will be told of ranchers and others who lost property and even their livelihoods. Among that property were thousands of heads of cattle, primarily used as part of the beef supply in the U.S. Many ranchers did everything they could do in their power, even setting animals free, but some of the fires were just too fast and many cattle died as a result.

Texas Beef

Texas cattle make up 13% of all cattle production in the U.S. so it would only be logical to be concerned that the loss of these animals might drive up the cost of beef. This is where numbers come into play. Texas has close to four and a half million cows, so as dismissive as it may sound, thousands lost (current estimates are under 4,000 but it may be as many as 12,000), isn't as impactful to Texas beef production overall.

The Ag Commissioner

The Texas Agriculture Commission went on record with U.S. Today and said that the losses most likely won't impact the cost of beef around the nation. Again, despite the losses being devastating for some Panhandle ranchers, Texas has so many cattle that the number who died is relatively small.

The Road Ahead

The biggest problem seems to be how hard it will be for some of the ranchers to bounce back. While money can make a lot of problems go away, burned-up grazing areas don't immediately grow back. This means ranchers will have to deal with the increased costs and logistics of feeding the cows that were spared by the fires. So you're wallet may be safe for now, but that could change.

Read More:  Panhandle Ranch Discusses Devastating Cattle Loss.