Cattle ranchers have been culling the heard for some time. Tough business on the ranching end.
Beef prices at the supermarket are at record highs, but cattle farmers are not making any of it. In response, the US cattle herd has reached 70 year lows,
the industry is an oligopoly of large processors. They will suppress prices for incoming beef because tens of thousands of family farmers have no other processing options.
Local and small-scale processing are disappearing fast.
For that, we can thank the USDA, EPA and other progressive government agencies in DC.
Not so much culling the herds as just selling out. There are lots and lots of mom and pop cow calf operations, the foundation of feedlots, that are just ending their business. It has become too hard and too expensive to raise cattle.