VEGA, TEXAS (RFD-TV) — Texas and New Mexico feed yards are facing slim inventories as the U.S.-Mexico border remains closed to cattle. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins traveled to Mexico City earlier this week for a meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and ag leaders. While the meeting reportedly went very well, no timeline has been set to resume imports.
Texas Cattle Feeders Association Chairman Robby Kirkland joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report to discuss how the closure has affected feed yards that rely on Mexican cattle to fill their lots.
In his interview with RFD-TV News, Kirkland shared producer sentiment following the meeting between U.S. and Mexican officials, as many await news on when trade may resume — and how the most recent case of New World Screwworm, detected roughly 170 miles south of the U.S. border, could continue to stall those reopening efforts.
Kirkland also addressed the current state of the cattle industry amid the closure, noting historically tight cattle supplies and domestic calf numbers that continue to fall short of feedlot capacity.
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Analysts warn the closed U.S.-Mexico border is straining cattle supplies and packing capacity. StoneX and USDA data point to long-term industry shifts.
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