Plants are closing because of covid-19. Which leaves a lot of local farms no other choice but to euthanize if they can't make room. I suppose they could have large convoys of livestock trucks moving to the next nearest slaughtering plant, but just thought railroads might be used for longer distances.
Autoracks were the first thought. And just think what a bigger boon for the pickup market it would be if they smelled like they just came off the cattle drive! (When things start picking back up again, of course.)
Yeah, and THAT is a BullSkeet excuse by "farmers"... It's not a matter of having room for the animals, it's about spending money to keep feeding an animal that is aging beyond its "prime" slaughter age .. (no one wants to eat an old moo-cow) .. Lets do the numbers, but we must start at the end.
Beef cattle sell for X dollars per "head", lets say for ease that X=$1,000.00 .. For the "farmer" to make $50.00 profit per "head" at sale time, they can spend NO MORE than $950.00 for Feed, Water, Medication, Insecticide, cost of Barn, cost of Land, cost of Employee wages, Taxes, etc., per "head" ...
...once that 950 is spent, we enter a "loss" situation. Killing the animal, and selling it off for other use, ie Pet Food, or simply disposing of the carcus is LESS of a "loss" (only X=$1,000.00), but if the animal is kept alive until slaughter/processing capacity is available (an "unknown" at this time) the "loss" begins to grow, and could potentially double ... only to provide then, an inferior meat product, that consumers will not want to buy, because no one wants to spend $35.00 for an "old, tough" Sirloin or PorterHouse steak ...
...The solution is for we the consumer, to re-learn what previous generations knew, and begin to "process" our own meat, groceries, etc. .. Instead of going to market and buying a "pan-ready" T-bone, go to the local butcher's shop and buy a Quarter or Half-steer and learn to cut the cuts one's self...which leads to the bigger issue at hand, which is that the general population has become lazy and entitled, just expecting to have someone else provide for their needs and have available for immediate consumption their every want. Imagine how many would complain if the only option was to buy dirty raw carrots and green beans, and have to wash them, and cut the ends off, then cook and season, rather than pop the top off a tin can and nuke them in the microwave.