Email 3 of Six of Cunningham Ranch Six Week Email Series: Why Beef Prices are Skyrocketing Nationwide - by Liz Cunningham

This is the 3rd email of our email series that we hope has grabbed your attention: 

To the Families We Serve,

Last week, we opened this six-part series on what’s driving beef prices nationwide — and why, here at Cunningham Pastured Meats, we’ve made the decision not to raise prices in 2025.

We began with a look at the largest land ownership transfer in American history — as aging ranchers sell and investment firms purchase the ground once passed down through generations. It’s a seismic shift.

Recap from previous weeks:

• An aging farming community colliding with a retirement wave of ranchers, 
• The largest land-ownership transfer in U.S. history, and how fewer hands are available to keep cattle on the range. 
• An industry that prioritizes mass production without considering the implications of the negative impacts on fertility to sustain a healthy herd. 
  

We also reminded our readers that this is a conversation worth having at your dinner table, because what happens out on the ranch affects what happens on your plate.

Scroll down to read more about another stressor on ranchers - the threat of New World Screwworm.

🪰 The Screwworm Threat: A Silent Stressor on Ranchers

For decades, the New World Screwworm was an agricultural success story — a pest eradicated through science and persistence. But now, it’s back in the headlines… and back on ranchers’ minds.

The backstory of the issue begins with the import of cattle. Many people do not realize that a massive number of animals come from South America, and while these cattle are dispersed nationwide, they are particularly destined for ranches or feedlots in Texas, where they are either sent to feedlots or taken straight to the slaughterhouse.

Why does this matter? What the average consumer doesn't realize is that the USDA currently puts the country of origin as the USA even though these cattle are imported. Prior to the Country of Origin (COOL laws in 2008, cattle had to be raised and processed in the US to be considered US Country of Origin. 

Since 2008, when COOL laws changed, 

People now have no real idea 

of the country of origin 

of their meat. 

Why does this matter? 

Since November of last year, the new world screwworm has been discovered in cattle in Mexico. 

This parasitic fly does not hurt people, but lays eggs in the live flesh wounds of cattle.

In short, the screwworm preys on live animals. 

Once hatched, the larvae feed on living tissue — a slow, devastating process that, if not caught early, can kill an animal.

To prevent a U.S. outbreak, federal officials have suspended live cattle imports from Mexico, a major source of feeder cattle for domestic processors. 

Add to this that the government is releasing sterile flies to mitigate the issue. Ivermectin is another intervention. 

Either way, cattle prices are at an all time high because we are no longer filling the gap in the U.S. cattle market by importing from the Southern Border. 

That’s a smart precaution — but it comes at a cost: fewer cattle entering the system, tighter supply, and mounting pressure on ranchers already stretched thin. 

To truly understand what’s happening, you have to zoom out. The U.S. cattle herd now sits at roughly 87 million head — the lowest since 1951. 

It’s a perfect storm: fewer ranchers, fewer cows, and an industry increasingly controlled by large processors rather than local producers who are willing or able to endure these challenges over generations.

💚 Why It Matters to You

When supply falls, prices rise — but the deeper loss for the "go big or get out" industry is in quality and integrity.

That’s why we’re standing firm this year:

 ✅ No price hikes in 2025
 ✅ No shortcuts in feed or finishing
 ✅ No compromise on what “Meat You Can Trust” means

This isn’t just economics — it’s a matter of legacy, stewardship, and community. The negative implications of these trends will surely shape the future of food in our valley and across the West; and not in a way God or the free range, regenerative community of ranchers intend.

Remember, when you choose Cunningham Pastured Meats, you’re not just buying beef — you’re preserving a way of life, supporting family ranchers who still believe that how you raise food matters.

👀 Coming Next Week

In part four of this series, we’ll examine another pressure point: independent US cattle ranchers believe they can meet the demand for more cattle, but federal lands, which make up the majority of the West, restrict grazing.

Stay tuned for the fourth email:
How restrictions on public grazing lands in the West are squeezing small ranchers and limiting the open space herds need to thrive.

Until then, thank you for standing with us, learning with us, and sharing these stories around your own table.

Take Me to Email 4 of the Series:

 Email 4 of Six