TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — People in the farming and ranching industries are warning high food prices are only going to continue to rise.
“The hay price has gone up double,” said Rancher Craig Bal. “And it looks like it will continue to go up even more.”
Craig Bal is trying to grow a small herd and also works on a ranch with hundreds of cows. He says ranching requires a lot of driving, and the price of diesel is at record levels.
“The fuel cost has gone crazy, so we haul a lot of cows from one side to the next, and then we ship them on shipping day.”
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While the cost of raising cattle has gone up, Bal says ranchers cannot make up their money by raising prices. Large meat packing companies have a lot of influence on the market, and they do not want to start paying more.
“It seems like the Arizona rancher is getting the bad end of the deal all together.”
Increased costs could lead to ranchers making cutbacks.
"Basically, you would keep your replacement heifers to grow your herd, because you cannot afford it. You would just sell them,” he said.
Bal says that means fewer cuts of meat to choose from at the grocery store and prices rising even higher than they already are.
“Everything will keep going,” he said. “Until we get energy under control, we cannot fix anything else.”
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Brian Brennan’s fascination with weather began as a kid in Arizona watching the intense thunderstorms during monsoon. He has covered major breaking news, court trials, Nellis Air Force Base, and has put himself at the center of many weather events.
