Sam Fenwick
speaker
1,068 appearances
10 recordings
2 series
first heard Feb 2026
last heard 5d ago
Sam Fenwick’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 10 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 4.
Appearances
So for once, it seems like the rancher might be holding the cards.
The US cattle herd stood at 86.2 million head at the start of this year, the smallest since 1951.
And fewer cows means higher prices because there's a short supply and therefore people are willing to pay more for them.
So is Eric better off?
Even though Eric's running costs have risen, the price he's getting for his cows has gone up by a lot.
And that's because of shrinking cow herds.
But how has that happened?
Well, producer Gideon Long is here and he's going to explain.
So expensive feed for those calves, but it isn't just the weather, is it, Gideon?
And a lot of these ranches, they're also reaching retirement age as well.
Now, Eric Groper's calves don't go straight to slaughter.
When they're about six months old, they go to a feedlot to be fattened on grain.
Now, these can be vast areas of land where cattle are penned and fed on grain instead of grass.
Some of the biggest hold well over 100,000 animals at a time.
Almost all of America's beef will pass through grain.
one of these feedlots.
About 95% of US cattle are finished on grain in a feedlot in the last few months of their life.
Brenda Battelle is a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin River Falls, and she studies exactly this part of the chain.
Now, the US Department of Agriculture says that that process can take anywhere from three to 10 months, depending on the animal.
Cattle and beef prices are quoted per 100 weight.
Showing 681–700 of 1,068 · page 35 of 54
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