Low beef prices impacting Big Country cattle producers

ABILENE, Texas - Cattle is one of the Big Country's biggest industries, and the price of beef--well below 2015 prices--is causing concern for some cattle producers.

"You know it's a big drop," said Billy Hyatt, a former cattle producer.

Hyatt still visits the Abilene Livestock Auction held every Tuesday and he noted the change's effect on current producers.

"The cost of keeping these cattle and feeding them hasn't gone down," Hyatt said. "When they're ready, they'll go to market regardless of what the price is. You can only feed them so much, you put the gain in, and you just throw good money at the bad. So whatever the market is, you're kind of locked in there."

Taylor County Agrilife Extension agent Robert Pritz says the low prices are due to a basic economic principal.

"It goes back to supply and demand," Pritz said. "We're in a very volatile beef market right now, and we're seeing some of the changes of coming off record-high beef prices with our industry."

Simply put, there's more cattle on the market that needed, thus lower prices. Pritz is remaining optimistic about higher market prices as we head into 2017, but for local producers, it's hard to stay positive.

"For next year, just more downs," Hyatt said. "For the future's sake, who knows? I've asked several people where the bottom's at and nobody knows."

Though things have been tough on the cattle producers, there is good news: beef prices have seen a slight increase over the past few weeks.