Six Challenges Ranchers Face and The Importance of Supporting Small, Local Businesses - Email 1
posted on
November 26, 2025
Email 1 of Six Challenges Ranchers Face and The Importance of Supporting Small, Local Businesses
This is the start of an email series nobody should ignore: To the Families We Serve, This email is the start of a special series I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks. Together, we’ll look at why beef prices are skyrocketing nationwide and what it means for families here at home. My goal is simple:
The conversation I’m about to start is one I believe belongs at every dinner table in America, especially here in Idaho. And, it's a conversation email I hope you will share with your friends and neighbors on the topic that will impact every individual in America! In short: The cattle industry is in the middle of a storm unlike anything we’ve seen in decades, and it affects every single one of us. Scroll down to read just a glimpse of what ranchers are up against: |
Here’s just a glimpse of what ranchers are up against:
- Ranchers are retiring in record numbers, leading to the largest land ownership transfer in U.S. history.
- The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest numbers since the 1940s, despite the country's growing population.
- The closed U.S. border limiting the number of beef animals impacting a low supply to demand.
- Restricted use of public lands for grazing in the western U.S.
- The consolidation of the meatpacking industry has resulted in 85% of all U.S. Beef being processed by only four large companies.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent why you’re seeing beef prices skyrocket in grocery stores across the country.
Here at Cunningham Pastured Meats, we have worked hard to shield our community from these pressures. Because we raise our own cattle, manage our pastures carefully, and partner with trusted local butchers, we’ve been able to hold prices steady, for now.
But I want to be transparent: even for small family ranches like ours, the pressure is mounting. Every season, it becomes harder to absorb rising costs while staying true to our promise of bringing you Meat You Can Trust.
🔎 What this means to you:
- Our prices are currently stable. We are committed to maintaining our prices through the end of 2025 as we monitor the unfolding of this unusual market.
- Your support matters. Buying local protects families like ours and keeps food dollars in our community.
- Meat you can TRUST. When you choose Cunningham Pastured Meats you are choosing quality, transparency, and care that the big beef industry cannot deliver.
That’s why I’ll be sending these weekly updates — each one focusing on a different challenge our industry is facing. Because supporting local ranchers isn’t just about buying beef. It’s about ensuring that future generations have access to food raised with integrity, right here in our valley.
This is more than just ranch talk — it’s a conversation that matters at your dinner table, too.
My hope is that we start a conversation that goes viral on a topic that will impact us all, and that is just too important to ignore!
Take me to Email 2: The fallout as Ranchers are retiring in record numbers, leading to the largest land ownership transfer in U.S. history
