IN-DEPTH: Ranchers’ Independence Fades as Corporations Expand Control of Food Supply

Global forces are pushing for greater control over U.S. beef production.

Cattle graze near Ojai, Calif., on June 21, 2022. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Kansas cattle rancher Kyle Hemmert watches the decline of cattle farmers in Ireland and the Netherlands and sees the future for himself and his fellow ranchers.

“What’s happening in the beef industry is the same thing that’s happened in the sheep industry,” Mr. Hemmert told The Epoch Times. “America peaked at 51 million sheep; today, we have less than 5 million.