(AP)The Idaho Cattle Association says the amount of red meat produced in Idaho has declined during the last decade. And the United State Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says red meat production at Idaho packing plants in October was down 80 percent from the same time last year at 3.5 million pounds.

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Bill Brockman, former president of Magic Valley Cattlemen’s Association, says loss of grazing lands and irrigated land being use for more profitable crops rather than cattle feed have contributed to the decline in red meat production in the state. The closure of a meat packing plant in Boise in 2006 hit the Idaho industry hard, forcing producers to drive out of state and cutting into profits.

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