Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller responded Wednesday to Tyson Foods’ announcement that it is restructuring its U.S. beef operations amid historically tight cattle supplies, warning that the move demonstrates the mounting consequences of America’s shrinking cattle herd and prolonged disruptions to cattle trade with Mexico, according to an Aug. 13 news release from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
While welcoming Tyson’s continued investment in its Amarillo facility, Miller said the federal government’s extended shutdown of cattle imports at the southern border has further strained feedlots, processors, producers and rural communities at a time when the industry can least afford it, the release said.
“Tyson’s announcement should be a wake-up call for anyone who cares about the future of the American cattle industry,” Miller said in the release. “We are living through one of the most severe cattle shortages in our nation’s history, and now we’re seeing the consequences ripple through the entire beef supply chain. Plants are closing, operations are consolidating, workers and communities are being affected, and cattle producers are facing enormous challenges.”
Miller said the U.S. Department of Agriculture needs to acknowledge the role the prolonged shutdown of cattle trade at the southern border has played in worsening the situation. “Shutting down cattle trade with Mexico was never a substitute for an aggressive strategy to eradicate the New World screwworm,” he said. “We have paid the economic price of a closed border, disrupted a cattle supply chain built over generations and screwworm still made it into the United States.”
The commissioner called the decision to begin slowly reopening the border to cattle trade welcome but overdue, adding that “the damage will not be undone overnight” and that Tyson’s restructuring “is another reminder that decisions made in Washington have real consequences in cattle country.”
Miller pointed to good news for Texas in the announcement: Tyson is doubling down on its Amarillo facility and plans to bring a second shift back online as cattle become available. He called the move “a strong vote of confidence in Texas cattle, Texas producers, and the Panhandle’s role as the beating heart of America’s beef industry.”
“Texas produces the best beef on earth. It’s time for USDA to start giving American ranchers, feeders, and processors the tools they need to grow,” Miller said.