At crowded cattle auctions in the rolling ranchland of Coryell County, Texas, auctioneers used to call out prices in their rapid-fire staccato into the early morning hours every week.
But amid a severe cattle shortage, the auctions are winding down “around 9 or 10 o’clock at night,” said Blayr Bernard, a rancher who runs about 17,000 head annually. “We’re now looking at 20 to 30 per cent fewer calves” than a year ago.
As the number of cattle passing through the ring has fallen, the prices shouted out by bidders have climbed sharply.
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