As production of cattle has plummeted to its lowest levels in decades‚ a rancher is warning that Americans are "going to pay the price" for the beef supply hitting a crisis point. "This is a bad situation for America's cattle farmers and America because we're producing 1 billion pounds less beef than we were in this country‚ just a year ago‚" John Boyd‚ Jr. – president of the National Black Farmers Association – said during a Thursday interview on "Fox &; Friends First."Boyd has been farming and producing beef for 41 years‚ and he stressed‚ "I'm telling you‚ this is a time when we should be investing in America's cattle‚ and we're not doing it.""We're not investing in America's beef and cattle farmers‚ and Biden policies are hurting America's cattlemen‚ such as myself‚" he continued. "They should be invested in America's cattle farmers and making sure that we have the tools needed to stay on the farm."Boyd noted that there were empty stalls last week at a "very good" cattle market near his home in Blackstone‚ Virginia. He blamed the alarming situation on American ranchers "not producing the beef that we used to."Boyd warned that the lack of production will cause price spikes. "Americans are going to pay the price at their local grocery stores‚" he stated. "We already are seeing such a steep‚ hike and beef in this country‚" Boyd said. "And it's because we're not supporting these cattlemen such as myself… the Biden administration‚ isn't paying attention [to] this national crisis. This is a national crisis for America's cattlemen‚ and this administration has turned a blind and a deaf ear to something that needs immediate attention."USDA’s biannual Cattle Inventory Report showed that the country's cattle herd totaled 87.2 million head as of Jan. 1‚ 2024. This figure is down roughly 2% from last year's crop‚ and the lowest herd size in 73 years. Fox Business reported‚ "Agricultural economists say persistent drought over the last three years‚ along with high input costs and inflation are putting pressure on both consumers and farmers."American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Bernt Nelson told the Southern Farm Network‚ "The combination of higher input prices and drought drove farmers and ranchers to market more cattle‚ and not just more cattle but more female cattle that are responsible for replacing the beef herd. Now‚ we’re looking at a beef herd of about 28.2 million head. Amongst that we have a calf crop that is 33.6 million. Now this is down two percent‚ but it’s the smallest calf crop since 1948. That’s in 76 years."Nelson said the current pipeline for beef supplies is "strong‚" but cautioned "as that supply begins to dry up‚ that’s when we are going to see beef supplies start to get tighter and tighter‚ and this could lead to the record prices that I think are going to occur in 2024 and 2025."Beef sold for an average of $5 per pound last year‚ according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In the latest alleged teacher sex scandal‚ an educator in Alabama is accused of engaging in a sex act with a student‚ according to police. Stephanie Mechelle Woods‚ 45‚ was arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office on Friday. Woods‚ of Henagar‚ was booked into the DeKalb County Detention Center at 4:20 p.m. on Friday and charged with a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student under 19‚ according to law enforcement. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that it had received a complaint about a "substitute teacher possibly having inappropriate relations with a student."As of Saturday‚ details were scant about the alleged child sex crimes that Woods is accused of. Law enforcement did not provide any details of the alleged sexual assault. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office did not identify which school Woods was employed at. DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the investigation into the alleged child sex crimes‚ "I would like to thank our Investigations Unit and the Board of Education for their earnestness in getting this case taken care of.""Our children have every right to feel safe at school‚ and parents have every right to expect it‚" Welden continued. "Our children are our number 1 priority and we will protect them at all cost."There isn't much data on the extent of sexual abuse of minors by school personnel. A 2014 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) read‚ "The prevalence of sexual abuse by school personnel remains unknown‚ in part‚ because some cases go unreported. Further‚ the term sexual abuse may not capture the full spectrum of the issue."The report warned how grooming makes outing predatory teachers difficult."While child sexual abuse typically refers to the criminal act of forcing a child to engage in sexual activity with the perpetrator‚ other inappropriate behaviors with children may eventually lead to sexual abuse‚" the GAO report said. "For example‚ while not generally criminal‚ behaviors often referred to as ‘grooming’ may be carried out by the perpetrator with the aim of establishing trust to facilitate future sexual activity with the child."A U.S. Department of Education report published in 2004 found that 18% of K-12 students claimed they experienced sexual misconduct by a teacher at some point in their schooling. The Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service reported that there were "459 cases of school employee sexual misconduct ... that attracted media coverage in 2014‚" based on data from the Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct &; Exploitation organization. There were also 96 cases that did not involve a student‚ but were carried out on a minor.The report showed that 7% of eighth through eleventh-grade students claimed to have experienced physical sexual contact from a school staff member. There were 10% of students who claimed they were exposed to sexual misconduct – such as being shown pornography or being subjected to sexually explicit language or exhibitionism.Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A former pro wrestler allegedly engaged police in an hours-long standoff and fatally shot his wife in Washington‚ according to multiple reports. Tactical teams responded to a shooting around 9:52 a.m. on Thursday in the Lents neighborhood of Portland‚ Washington. Officers determined the gunman was inside the residence and requested assistance from the Special Emergency Reaction Team and the Crisis Negotiation Team. The suspect was reportedly uncooperative with law enforcement officers and police advised nearby residents to shelter in place‚ according to a news release from the Portland Police Bureau. It took officers approximately two hours to detain the suspect – 70-year-old William Albert Haynes Jr. Inside the home‚ officers found the dead body of an elderly woman.Authorities identified the shooting victim as 85-year-old Janette Becraft – the second wife of Haynes.The medical examiner determined Becraft died of homicide by gunshot wound.Haynes was taken into custody by police and then transported to a local hospital for treatment of a "medical condition unrelated to the homicide or his contact with law enforcement." Portland police said his release from the hospital "may be days from now‚" but he would then be booked into jail and formally charged. KATU reported that Haynes was a former pro wrestler. Haynes started his professional wrestling career in 1982 and performed under the name Billy Jack Haynes.Haynes joined the WWF in 1986‚ and competed against wrestling stars such as Ric Flair and Randy “Macho Man” Savage during the 1980s.According to Slam Wrestling‚ Haynes had a "long feud with Hercules Hernandez‚ including the Battle of the Full-Nelsons at WrestleMania III and a series of bloody chain matches that stood out in the fairly family-friendly promotion."Haynes departed from the WWF in 1988 after he allegedly refused to lose in a match hosted in his hometown of Portland. The Portland Police Bureau is urging anyone with information about this case to contact Detective Ryan Foote at ryan.foote@police.portlandoregon.gov (503) 823-0781 or Detective Travis Law at Travis.Law@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0395 and reference case number 24-31552.Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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