The fallout as Ranchers are retiring in record numbers, leading to the largest land ownership transfer in U.S. history - Email 2

written by

posted on

November 26, 2025

embeddable_9e23baee-ca2f-426f-874e-d1bf38008c68-(1)-(1).jpg

Email 2 Ranchers are retiring in record numbers, leading to the largest land ownership transfer in U.S. history

This is the 2nd email of the start of an email series nobody should ignore:

To the Families We Serve,

This week, I want to continue our series on why beef prices are rising — and what’s really happening behind the scenes that impacts people like yourself and family ranches and neighboring ranches like ours. Across the U.S., ranchers are retiring in record numbers. In fact, we’re seeing what may become the largest land ownership transfer in American history. This isn’t just about numbers — it’s about people, legacy, and the land that’s fed our country for generations.

The reality is simple: a lot of the men and women who built this industry are now in their 70s and 80s. They’ve worked hard their whole lives, and they deserve to slow down. But there aren’t enough young ranchers stepping in to fill their boots. And with land prices at historic highs, most families — ours included — can’t afford to buy the ground that’s coming up for sale.

That’s where things start to shift. Ranching & Farming Land that’s been in families for decades is now being purchased by investment firms or absentee owners who often live hundreds of miles away.

"When the people who work the land no longer live on it, something fundamental gets lost."

Or, worse, when land that has for generations been dedicated for ranching and farming is converted into condominium and housing use, we fail to remember that the people residing in these units will still need to be fed!

But the land story is only half of it. The other half is the cattle themselves.

Even as ownership changes hands, cattle numbers across the country are dropping fast. From as early as the 1960s and the decades that followed a “get big or get out” thinking reshaped the paradigm of how animals were bred.

"It's a slippery slope when genetics do not focus on the fertility of cattle, but on the size of the calf they can produce. It then causes cattle to be big, fat, but their fertility plummets."

Simply put, the focus moved from fertility and resilience to how quickly cattle could gain weight in feedlots- ignoring the importance of retention.

Those genetic choices create cattle that don’t breed as easily, don’t adapt as well to pasture life, and simply aren’t built to thrive on open range anymore, especially impacting ranchers and farmers who breed cattle in the high desert.

While we still raise cattle that graze year-round and breed naturally, that’s becoming increasingly rare.

More tragically, across the industry, heifers that used to be kept for breeding are being sold off for slaughter instead. When you start selling your females, you’re essentially selling your future herd. It’s a slow unraveling that can take years to rebuild — if it’s ever rebuilt at all.

So when people ask, “Why are cattle prices going up?” the first takeaway from this email is an answer that is layered:

A generation of ranchers is ready to retire.
Land prices are too high for young ranchers to step in.
Cattle genetics focused on the wrong traits.
Fewer heifers were kept to rebuild herds.

It’s a perfect storm that’s been decades in the making — and it’s catching up fast.

At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we’re choosing a different path. We’re not raising prices in 2025 because we believe you deserve Food You Can Trust, even when the market says otherwise. We’ll keep raising our cattle on open pastures, the way nature intended, and keep telling the truth about what’s really happening out here.

If this conversation stirs something in you, stay tuned for next week’s email — we’ll talk about how border closures to cattle and the lowest cattle numbers since the 1940s, and the insurgency are further tightening the supply chain.

Food isn’t just about what’s on your plate — it’s about who’s raising it, and what kind of future we want to build together.

Take me to Email 3: The threat of screwworm, fewer cattle, and land changes are all part of a bigger story

Email 3 of Six Week Series

Full 2026: Series on The Big Grass Fire "It Starts with a Spark!"

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Standing Together During the Big Grass Fire When wildfires threaten our communities, they don’t stop to ask whose land they’re on. They move quickly, changing lives in a matter of hours. But in rural communities like ours, something else moves just as quickly—neighbors stepping up to help neighbors. As the Big Grass Fire continues to impact parts of Idaho and Oregon, Sean Cunningham of Cunningham Pastured Meats has joined countless ranchers, volunteers, firefighters, and first responders working tirelessly to support those directly affected. But, in spite of the effort to mitigate the damages, the devastation is real to life and property. While the Cunningham ranch has not been directly impacted by the fire, Sean has been spending long days assisting neighboring ranchers whose grazing lands, livestock, fences, and livelihoods have been threatened. Whether helping protect cattle, building fire lines, moving equipment, or supporting firefighting efforts wherever needed, the work reflects something deeply rooted in ranching culture: when one neighbor is hurting, everyone shows up. With but a brief reunion with Sean after his 3 days of fire service. As you can imagine, while Sean is all smiles to finally be home for some much-needed rest, tears were shed by the littles in his reunion with the family! As many of you know, Liz and Sean, while still only in their late 30s, have seven children and one on the way. To date, Liz and Sean have spent days apart, each taking on the role in their own capacity against the fires. Sean on the dozer in the field and Liz capturing the story in a digital war to garner the attention of news agencies like KTVB7, the Lt. Governor's office, the White House, electric company CEOs and others for much needed assistance and support for the communities who are now at the mercy of a rogue grass fire, The Big Grass Fire and simultaneous fires stretching thousands of acres throughout the Jordan Valley and beyond. That spirit of service and capitalizing on each person's strengths to wage the war against the fires is nothing new to ranchers. Across the West, ranchers have long been among the first to respond when wildfire strikes. Their knowledge of the land, equipment, water sources, and terrain often makes them invaluable partners alongside local, state, and federal fire crews. Many volunteer through Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, organizations that have become an essential part of wildfire response throughout Oregon and Idaho. These partnerships help firefighters respond more quickly while protecting communities, grazing lands, wildlife habitat, and homes. For ranching families, these fires aren’t simply headlines—they’re deeply personal. A single fire can erase years of stewardship, destroy fencing, eliminate forage needed to feed cattle, and disrupt generations of hard work. Yet even in the face of tremendous loss, ranchers continue helping one another because that’s simply what neighbors do. We are incredibly grateful to every firefighter, volunteer, dispatcher, law enforcement officer, ranch family, and community member working around the clock to protect lives and property. Their courage and commitment remind us that the strength of rural communities isn’t measured only by the land we steward—it’s measured by the people willing to stand together when it matters most. Please continue keeping the families directly affected by these fires in your thoughts and prayers. Recovery will take time, but our communities have always been built on resilience, compassion, and a willingness to lend a hand. As of Wednesday July 29, 2026 at 8 am the non-official update includes official agencies holding the line with the yellow circles area in the image below a wild card. With potential winds pushing north again, critical barriers may not be enough to hold the fire from encroaching on Silver City. The blue circled area on a post seen here with images is the most difficult to manage, with juniper trees, canyons, and rock formations making it difficult terrain to navigate intervention and support. See more details and images here From all of us at Cunningham Pastured Meats and Cliff’s Country Market, thank you to everyone serving on the front lines and behind the scenes. We are honored to stand alongside a community that continues to embody the very best of what it means to be neighbors helping neighbors. We continue to remain steadfast in prayer in the midst of a very active and devastating fire season.Watch Sean's interview with KTVB news.

The fallout as Ranchers are retiring in record numbers, leading to the largest land ownership transfer in U.S. history - Email 2

More from the blog

Full 2026: Series on The Big Grass Fire "It Starts with a Spark!"

Full 2026: 6 week series is housed here: real food, real health, and why quality meat matters

Why Beef Prices Are Rising Across America — The Full Cunningham Ranch 6-Week Series