Donald Trump Won't Save Struggling US Livestock Industry

The small beef herd is due to low prices, severe droughts and rising costs, which are sending more female cattle to slaughter. Potential new tariffs and immigration reform could further limit supply.

High interest rates, high feed costs and a shift to cheaper chicken have caused the cattle herd to decline for the fifth straight year. The industry has seen a nearly 40 percent decline in the number of animals since its peak in 1975, and the current decline is the fastest since the farm crisis of the 1980s.

MEAT processing companies such as Tyson Foods, National Beef,JBS and Cargill did not comment on the situation.