Cow Herds & Chicken Flocks Shrink By MILLIONS

Food shortages... we have all been hearing about them, but they're not being caused by supply chain bottlenecks like we may assume. The supply of beef & chicken is being limited by the supply of chickens and cows. We know, that seems simplistic, but shrinking herds and flocks can severely limit the supply of grocery store’s meat aisles. What has caused the cow and chicken population to shrink here in the states? Well, we’re glad you asked.

 

1. Shrinking Chicken Flocks

Poultry flocks in the past two months have been plagued by 35+ million cases of the Avian Flu. That has led to a 25-30 million reduction in flock size across the US due to culling partial flocks and birds naturally passing from the disease. The majority of the 35+ million birds are chickens and turkeys. They have confirmed cases of the flu on farms in 32 US states. 

This is going to lead to a direct shortage of chicken in the coming months. Unfortunately, chicken is one of the few proteins that might still feel affordable for families during this time of inflation, but with this supply limitation they won’t have the same access to it at their local grocers. Even if you do find chicken on your shelves, the price will likely be much higher in response to the limited supply nationwide.

Not only will the meat of chickens be scarce, but so will the number of eggs. “In Iowa, the state that produces the most eggs, more than 11m of 56m egg-laying hens have died.” (Guardian) So chicken breasts and omelets are soon to be a delicacy of our country. Now more than ever, people are looking for a safe, reliable, and consistent supply of high-quality chicken, and we’d recommend checking out our store TODAY.

Our chicken supply has not been hurt, and you can lock in your price on our chicken by subscribing today. Don’t wait a week or month until you see the prices go up. Take a safe and affordable action today by subscribing to our boxes of 100% American, Better than Organic chicken.

2. Shrinking Cow Herds

Now, the bird flu is not impacting our cattle herds, but something is. We saw a 2% drop in the cattle population, according to the USDA cattle report. That is nearly 2 million cattle that are no longer in the herd compared to last year. Why has the total population of cattle dropped since last year? It turns out that during the high demand of COVID, farms were sending cows to be processed and sold that they normally wouldn’t. They got rid of more female cattle for the sake of short-term profits, and that has limited the reproductive replacement rate of our Nation’s herd.

 

This is likely to have the same effect as the decrease in chicken flock numbers. We will see a continued spike in beef prices due to increased demand but limited supply constrained by herd size. Ground beef, steaks, and burgers shouldn’t have to leave our weekly meal schedules. Save $25 on every box of American Beef (USDA Prime & Upper Choice) from our store when you subscribe. We sell the highest quality at one of the lowest prices you will find.

Subscribe today and give us a try. You can pause, push back your next order, or even move it up whenever you need to stay stocked in this season of food uncertainty. With Good Ranchers, you can have what you need when you need it even in the midst of a food shortage. Find your perfect Good Ranchers box today!