America's Cattle Herd Just Hit a 75-Year Low. Now It Can't Make a Burger Without Canada.

By The Decision Room

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In the next few days millions of Americans will fire up a grill for the Fourth of July — and flinch at the price of ground beef: more than $6.70 a pound, a record. Here's what nobody at the barbecue knows: America can't actually make that burger by itself anymore. The U.S. cattle herd has fallen to about 86 million head — the smallest since 1951. The beef cow herd (the breeding females) is at its lowest since 1961. Years of drought pushed ranchers to sell off breeding cows, and because a cow carries a calf for 9 months and that calf needs ~2 years to become beef, there's no quick fix. Experts say prices may not feel normal again until ~2028. And even in a good year, the U.S. doesn't make the beef it most wants to eat. American cattle are fatty; the hamburger needs LEAN beef blended in — so the U.S. imports lean trimmings by the shipload (a record 4+ billion pounds in a recent year, ~10% of consumption). Top suppliers: Brazil, Australia, Canada, Mexico. Then Mexico got cut off. A fle

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