Missouri Cattlemen Begin Thinning Herds; Beef Prices Likely to Rise

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The president of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association says the drought is going to hit you in the pocketbook, but not right away.

Lonny Duckworth, a western Missouri cattle farmer, says producers are beginning to thin their herds now. Prices will go down for a while, but then cattle farmers will have to rebuild their herds.

"The bottom line is, the numbers are going to get lower, and when it does break and come back, we're going to have that many less cattle -- supply and demand kicks in. The prices could be very high, and it's going to show up in the grocery store."  

Duckworth says cattle farmers are having to pay high prices to feed their cattle.

"I'm hearing more and more reports of people running out of water or about ready to run out of stock water. And when you run out of water, you're just out of business."

Duckworth says that will cause beef prices to dip for a while, but then begin to rise as beef producers wait for their herds to grow again.