How border cattle ranchers are turning economic integration into a science

Alfredo Corchado dives into what we can learn from border cattle operations. THE BIG STORY [Pictured is a border cow staring into the camera with a white face and brown torso.]( A Bezner Beef raised cow feeds at their yard outside of Dalhart, Texas, July 19, 2023. They raise roughly 16,000 head of cattle. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) [U.S. and Mexican cattle ranchers are turning economic integration into a science apart from politics]( As U.S. and Mexico officials wrangle over complex issues from immigration to fentanyl, cattle ranchers from both countries have found a way to turn economic integration into a science apart from politics. The complex supply chain begins on the borderline between San Jeronimo, Mexico, and Santa Teresa, N.M., a town of 6,000 people that sits on the edge of Texas, adjacent to El Paso. For the Mexican cattle, post-insemination, the arduous journey is just beginning. Daily, trucks filled with cattle leave Santa Teresa for feedlots scattered within a day’s drive to Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, California and Colorado. Alvaro I. Bustillos is president of the Chihuahua Cattlemen’s Association. The vast majority of his cattle end up in the Texas panhandle. They’re eventually slaughtered and packaged for grocery stores and dinner tables throughout the United States, including North Texas, and parts of Mexico. The [process is known as “gate to plate,”]( said David Anderson, professor and livestock expert at Texas A&M. The cattle carry Texas genes, eat Texas grass and are inspected in Texas, Anderson added. “But I think a lot of people don’t know that. I would argue that there are restaurants, retail outlets, grocery stores and consumers who would reluctantly buy meat if they knew it came from Mexico, and I think that’s an education thing,” he said. [READ MORE]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Account Login]( | [Help Center]( [Terms of Service]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( The Dallas Morning News 1954 Commerce Street Dallas, TX 75201 © Copyright 2023