Not really hard to believe. Same in Europe

"The lack of feed that this extended dry spell has caused means that some farmers are increasingly slaughtering stock rather than buying feed for them. The E.U. has waived rules that require a proportion of pastureland to be left fallow for a time to increase biodiversity, and cow slaughtering in Germany has gone up by 21 percent compared to the same period last year."
www.citylab.com/environment/2018/08/european-heatwave-animals/566741/