Mexican ranchers struggle to adapt as a parasite ravages cattle exports to the U.S.

['The Associated Press', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-08-06 05:02:49

A calf is evaluated by a veterinary during a veterinary inspection in Hermosillo, Sonora State, Mexico. This year, Mexican ranchers have exported fewer than 200,000 head of cattle, which is less than half what they historically send in the same period. For Ibarra Vargas, considered a comparatively small rancher by Sonora’s beef-centric standards, the inability to send his calves across the border has made him rethink everything. In the past two months, they’ve sold more than 35,000 mature cows within Mexico at a significant loss. “We couldn’t wait any longer,” said Juan Carlos Ochoa, president of the Sonora Regional Cattle Union.