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Another problem I think he failed to mention is the aging of our farmers. Offspring raised on farms are and have been leaving for years, not following in the footsteps of their forefathers. Another problem is the death tax which is causing the sell off and break up of family farms. I farmed for a while and the price is better for the farmer now, I am speaking of cattle now, the processors and middlemen and retailers make the bucks. Find a small local farmer and buy half a calf or as much as you need and invest in a deep freeze. In WWII people grew what were called Victory Gardens and my advise to you is to start now to do the same, if you want to eat. The war on the middle class is only going to get more intense as time goes on. You would be surprised what a 40’ by 20’ garden will produce, I started one in my neighborhood and gave away a lot of produce to the neighbors. The next year gardens were becoming the norm in my neighborhood. People have got to understand that they must rely on themselves in this new world we have entered. Make it as hard on the various governments to break you as possible. Give government officials a ration of 5hit whenever you have the misfortune to interact with them. Do not give in.

There are MANY reasons for this reduction in the overall herd size.
With government regulation affecting so very many tangents of this issue, it's hard to choose which one to discuss first.
Gasoline, diesel, and LPG, as well as natural gas regulations, and ethanol are very large problems in this, and not just due to cost and availability.
Farmers can't keep buying new equipment to maintain his herd because of tighter and tighter bottom line margins.
Running older equipment is also difficult because today's newer mixes of fuel with ethanol destroys older vehicles with carbs and older O-rings and cork gaskets.
In short, it just isn't worth the trouble, no matter how much the farmer loves raising livestock and growing hay and shoepeg corn to feed them.
And now, some farmers have to deal with new "protected species" wolves and coyotes.
Then there's problems with Nile virus from mosquitoes in some areas, "Black-leg" in others, droughts driving up availability of good grass hay.
I could go on and on.
But the government doesn't help the cattle growers.
They stand in the way, by regulating out the poison in the insecticides he needs to keep the insects at bay.
They drive up the cost of fertilizers such as ammonia nitrate he needs to use on his second cutting of hay, since using the fertilizer he used for the first cut again, would "burn" the soil.
It's easy to understand WHY most farmers are simply throwing their hands up and "Selling Out".
Look at the cattle growers out west and the "water regulations" and how they prevent the farmer from getting the amount of water he needs for his livestock, and his grain and hay.

And yet most people don't understand WHY the cattle numbers in the United States are getting smaller.
The government is our ENEMY!

It has been dry for several years west of the Mississip’ but that said our herd is back to near normal levels after many years.

“Another problem I think he failed to mention is the aging of our farmers. Offspring raised on farms are and have been leaving for years, not following in the footsteps of their forefathers. “

Yo. Child of a rancher who left the place, if temporarily, to make a living. Had to move “to town.” Don’t necessarily like it but it was economic reality and my fondest dream is to go back home at some point and try to pay the bills. Didn’t leave because I wanted to, but, because I pretty much had to since small-to-medium farming/ranching don’t pay today.