America’s Beef Crisis: Shrinking Herds, Rising Prices and a Bizarre Cattle Mystery | Ben Swann

America's beef industry is facing a remarkable combination of economic and biological pressures. The U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low, beef prices are near record highs, and USDA data cited by Ben Swann shows nearly 142,000 American farms disappeared between 2017 and 2022. At the same time, President Trump says the United States will purchase additional beef from Argentina as Washington attempts to lower prices. But supply problems extend far beyond economics. The spread of New World screwworm through Mexico led the United States to restrict Mexican cattle imports, while the CDC estimates that as many as 450,000 Americans may have developed alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially serious allergy to red meat associated with tick bites. And then there's a particularly unusual finding. Researchers from West Texas A&M University working with a Cargill researcher examined more than 20,000 finished cattle across 33 feedlots and documented lactation in nearly 20% of dairy-cross steers and approximately 15% of native steers. These are castrated male cattle—and researchers documented actual milk containing fat, protein and lactose. The cause remains uncertain. Researchers have pointed to excess body fat and resulting estrogen as one possibility. Questions have also been raised about hormonal growth implants, but the study did not contain the control group needed to determine whether implants played a role. On this episode of America Now with Ben Swann, Ben examines these seemingly separate stories and asks a larger question: What is happening to America's beef supply—and why are American cattle and American ranchers both disappearing?Catch our entire lineup of shows featuring hosts like Jeff Dornik, Shannon Joy, Ann Vandersteel, Patrick Howley, Ted Rall and Dr Michael Scheuer on Rumble, X and your favorite podcast platform.Pickax is the primary home for Freedom First Network, so be sure to sign up for Pickax, and then follow and subscribe to FFN: https://pickax.com/freedomfirstnetwork