Labor Changes in the US Beef Industry Magnify Challenges with Succession in Rangeland Systems

The beef industry consistently adapts to forces such as climate change, shifts in consumer preferences, and land-use change. Evolving labor dynamics constitute another major force impacting beef production stability and sustainability. Factors related to climate, consumers, and land-use often generate mitigation strategies in response; however, structural change in labor availability, reliability, and accessibility present risk for the industry that could supersede emphasis on other forces. Often, climate and land-use challenges bring distinct technological and/or policy needs and implications to the forefront, which in turn tend to overshadow the profound impacts occurring through labor and succession challenges. While traditional constraints on succession still apply, changes to labor chains (such as type of labor, labor supply, and labor incentives) exacerbate a shrinking successor pool beyond demographic and economic constraints. Additionally, a lack of qualified labor may have major ramifications for ranches in rural communities as well as a risk to ecological continuity and management of the landscape. We use USDA Census of Agriculture data coupled with qualitative interview data to illuminate the changing nature of hired and contract labor in the ranching and feedlot industries.