A few things have been lost in the recent beef-industry beef over imports and the size of the domestic herd. Yes, the cattle herd is at a seven-decade low, but we’re producing about the same amount of beef as when the herd was its largest in 1975 and imports are vital for making the modern system work for everyone.

Yes, recent drought conditions have certainly played a role in reducing the herd size, but the overall trend has been a smaller herd producing roughly the same amount of beef. Over the past several decades the cattle industry has undergone the same evolution as the rest of production agriculture. Just like how we grow more bushels of grain on fewer acres today than in the past, ranchers, feeders and packers produce more beef from each animal.

Raising a harvest-ready calf requires a significant time investment not to mention the pasture, hay and grain in addition to supplemental nutrition and veterinary care. Roughly speaking, this efficiency has increased the amount of beef created from each animal by 50 percent through selective breeding, dialed in diets and better carcass utilization practices.

Some of these improvements are factored into the current price of cattle, but it’s mainly been consumer demand that’s propelled the industry to record prices for both live animals and beef products at the supermarket. Imports have helped keep those supermarket prices from going even higher and have provided support for the prices ranchers receive.

To understand why, it’s important to know that ranchers sell cattle to cattle buyers and very few cattle buyers are the end consumers. The ultimate buyer is the packer who offers the most money. Theoretically, packers who can most efficiently market everything from ribeye to offal are able to pay more for cattle and still make a profit. Exporting the parts most of us don’t consume to places that do also adds value.

All the efficiency built into the U.S. beef cattle herd is largely centered on producing those top-dollar cuts like ribeye, KC strip and tenderloin domestic consumers love but can’t afford for most meals. And we really love our ground beef. But after removing all the well-marbled steaks, roasts and brisket from a side of beef, there’s very little lean meat left to grind into the quantity of ground beef we use for cheeseburgers, tacos, casseroles or any of the other everyday dishes we eat.

Without imports of lean trim to make ground beef, domestic trimmings would be turned into pet food or another low-value product. Allowing packers to mix the two helps keep the price lower than it would be otherwise for consumers, which helps them pay ranchers more.

This is a simplified version of a complex and evolving supply chain. At today’s prices, ranchers would certainly like more cattle to sell. Packers would buy them based on consumers’ demand and the additional supply of beef would help lower prices at the store.

High prices are the signal to ranchers to begin rebuilding the herd, or finding new efficiencies to increase the amount of beef packers can produce from each head. Imports should be complementary and benefit everyone ­— cattle growers, beef producers and consumers — rather than attempt to favor one over the others.