California Ranchers Miss Beef Rally as Drought Cuts Herds
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Record-high U.S. beef prices offer little comfort to California rancher Kevin Kester, whose family has been raising cattle since 1867. He’s just trying to avoid losing his herd to the state’s worst drought ever.
The dry spell withered pastures on Kester’s 22,000-acre ranch near Paso Robles, 175 miles (282 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, forcing him to sell 20 percent of his cows to avoid extra hay-feeding costs. He hasn’t added young cattle at a time of year when he usually buys several thousand. Without rain in the next 60 to 90 days, Kester said he’ll sell all his cows.