Cows rest underneath a fan. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
CHANGWON, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – In the sweltering heat of a late July morning, Kim Young-bong wiped sweat from his brow as he tended to his herd of 270 Korean native cattle, known as hanwoo, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.
“Raising cattle is absolutely miserable right now,” Kim, 61, lamented. “We can’t even get fair prices for our beef, and now we’re dealing with this extreme heat.”
As temperatures soared past 30 degrees Celsius in the Jinbuk area of Masan, triggering a heat wave warning, Kim had already been working for hours, his clothes drenched with perspiration from feeding the cattle since 9 a.m.
With three decades of experience in the livestock industry, Kim described the current situation as unprecedented. “Feed costs have skyrocketed, increasing our production expenses, and this oppressive heat is wearing down both the cattle and us farmers,” he said.
Kim, along with his two sons in their 30s, operates a integrated breeding farm spread across five barns totaling about 2,314 square meters in Jinbuk-myeon, Masan. They raise their cattle from birth to slaughter.
The relentless heat has forced Kim to quintuple his daily barn visits to monitor the animals’ condition. “Even two calves born last month are currently under treatment, likely due to the heat sapping their strength,” he reported.
To combat the sweltering conditions, Kim runs ceiling fans 24 hours a day and regularly operates ventilation fans to circulate air in the barns. He meticulously places feed outside the enclosures each morning to ensure the cattle receive proper nutrition.
Despite these efforts, the heat appears to have suppressed the animals’ appetites, much to Kim’s dismay.
“Electricity costs triple during summer, and I’m deeply worried that the cattle aren’t gaining weight,” he said. “Beef prices have dropped by about 2 million won per head across all grades. We’re losing 8 to 10 million won a month.”
According to the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government, as of July 23, the price of hanwoo beef (dressed carcass) was 17,240 won per kilogram, down 15.7% from the usual average of 20,458 won per kilogram.
A provincial official explained that the price drop is due to increased supply, with over 900,000 cattle being slaughtered recently compared to the usual 760,000.
“To alleviate the burden on livestock farmers, we plan to promote beef consumption, expand support for feed purchase loans, and assist with heat wave countermeasures such as installing shade screens and fans,” the official stated.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
