TEMPLETON, Calif. -- Cattle ranchers are trying to rebuild their profits after mad cow disease was found on a dairy farm in California last year.
"All the major export countries that we were shipping beef to, cut us off!" says Templeton Cattle Producer Dick Knock.
Since then, Japan only imports U.S. beef harvested before 20 months of age, while Indonesia banned U.S. beef altogether.
"Indonesia is using this as a ploy to stop the imports," says Knock. "Maybe to protect their own cattle industry but that's one of the problems."
Indonesia has an estimated market of 240 million potential customers and central coast cattlemen want them.
"We have to export," says Knock. "Because we have drought conditions in the United States. We have high corn prices."
His cattle sold at the Templeton Live Stock Market on Saturday and he says despite Indonesia's ban on U.S. beef, the U.S. is exporting more beef than ever before.
"It has taken us almost ten years to get our markets back in Japan and Korea but now we're on top of it," says Knock.
Now, he's waiting for just one more market to open up.
Central Coast News reached out to the Indonesia Embassy and Consulate General but both offices were closed.
