WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s not just America’s human birth rate that is in decline.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported that, as of July 1, beef cow production is down about 2 percent from the same time last year. And the calf population is down about 1 percent.
There are currently 98.8 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms and ranches, with milk cows down 9.45 million.
Meanwhile, to help protect those farmers and ranchers, U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., introduced a bill that would provide 100-percent market-value reimbursement for livestock destroyed by the federally-protected Mexican gray wolf.
“Alongside my colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee, I’m working to find solutions that not only protect Arizona’s native wildlife, but also support the livelihoods of our hardworking ranchers and ag producers,” O’Halleran said. “My bill makes sensible improvements to the predator support process to promote the recovery of the endangered Mexican gray wolf species and ensure livestock producers are fully compensated for the losses they incur as a result.”
Currently, ranchers and farmers who lose livestock to the wolf are compensated at 75 percent of market value.
The Mexican gray wolf was first protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1976, and captive-bred wolves have been released into Catron and Grant counties in southwestern New Mexico; and Apache and Greenlee counties in southeastern Arizona.
