Hale County and the City of Plainview are recovering after the double hit that Cargill laid off 2000 workers and news of the idling of the White Energy Ethanol Plant. Both are the result of the drought that has hit the area for the past year and a half. Cargill closed because the US cattle herd is at its lowest level in 61 years. In fact, the herd shrunk for a sixth straight quarter because of high feed costs tied to drought. Hale County has vowed to think ahead.
Hale County Judge Bill Coleman said, "Initially there was a lot of shock. You don’t lose more than 2000 jobs and recover overnight. In order to recover from the initial shock, the Commissioners and I are trying to look forward down the road and be optimistic." Monday, a number of job fairs were scattered about town, hoping to lure some of the laid off employees.
Meanwhile, although the herd is relatively small, there are signs of a turnaround. Ranchers are retaining heifers. Dr. Stephen Amosson of Texas A&M Agrilife Extension said, "One of the ironies of it, in order to build back these supplies, if we ever do get rain, you have to withhold heifers. If you withhold heifers, that’s taking more animals out of the meat chain. So from the consumer standpoint, we’re going to be looking at higher prices for the next two or three years."
