{"id":4324,"date":"2026-07-12T06:06:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4324"},"modified":"2026-07-12T06:06:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:06:59","slug":"why-is-beef-so-expensive-and-can-consumers-expect-lower-prices-anytime-soon-its-got-to-get-worse-before-it-gets-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4324","title":{"rendered":"Why is beef so expensive? And can consumers expect lower prices anytime soon? \u2018It\u2019s got to get worse before it gets better.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><p>A quick stop at the grocery store, your local hot dog stand or favorite Italian beef spot and you may experience some genuine sticker shock.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4316\">Bellingham scores twice, including extra-time winner as England beats Norway, reaches World Cup semifinal<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Almost $8.50 for a pound of ground beef? $6.99 for a Chicago dog? $13.65 for an Italian beef?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just you. Beef prices are rising. And rapidly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: As beef prices hit record highs, home cooks rediscover the world\u2019s oldest cheap proteins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Average prices are up nearly 13% in the last year, with a pound of ground beef now costing $6.75 nationwide, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the Midwest, prices are even steeper, kissing $7 per pound.<\/p>\n<p>The cost of ground beef has already surpassed all-time highs twice this year, and cattle ranchers and beef market experts alike doubt it\u2019ll be the last.<\/p>\n<iframe allow=\"geolocation\" allowfullscreen=\"no\" allowtransparency=\"1\" class=\"iframe\" height=\"600px\" id=\"6a532eed1ba45\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/29565443\/embed\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n<p>The historically high prices seen this year are the result of a combination of economic and environmental factors \u2014 from inflation and a labor shortage to drought and disease. All contribute to one bottom line: less beef.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, demand has never been higher, and as the summer grilling season heats up, that demand is only likely to increase.<\/p> <div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a beef shortage. I mean, that\u2019s the simplest way I can say it,\u201d said Cliff McConville, the founder of All Grass Farms, a family farm based in Dundee that raises cattle and other livestock.<\/p>\n<p>Americans are paying the price for that shortage in the form of higher grocery bills and restaurant costs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the general consumer, the person who goes to Jewel or Mariano\u2019s to buy a package of meat, doesn\u2019t realize the cattle shortage,\u201d said Lisa Drucker, the co-owner of Superdawg Drive-In. \u201cThat has not really been publicized.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Environmental factors<\/h4>\n<p>Lower domestic beef production is the result of a shrinking U.S. cattle herd \u2014 with the total head of cattle, calves and beef cows declining for seven consecutive years.<\/p> <div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in a very unique situation in the cattle industry right now. We\u2019re at multidecade lows,\u201d said Derrell Peel, a livestock marketing specialist with the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.<\/p>\n<p>The national cattle inventory is currently at a 75-year low, per the National Agricultural Statistics Service\u2019s latest report. Further, the number of beef cows, specifically, is the lowest it\u2019s been since 1961, and the total 2025 calf crop dropped another 2% year-over-year to lows not seen since the 1940s. The latter, in particular, spells trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Put simply, fewer calves and cows means less beef, and less beef translates to higher prices in the grocery aisle.<\/p>\n<p>So why exactly is the herd population so low? Agricultural specialists and cattle farmers agree that climate and the environment play a big role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo some extent that domestic inventory is a result of environmental conditions that nobody can control,\u201d said McConville.<\/p>\n<p>Namely, drought.<\/p>\n<p>Severe drought in the western and southwestern parts of the country have been a persistent issue for decades. More recently, the Plains have been hit by extreme drought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve had quite a bit of drought out West, and out West has the larger numbers of cattle,\u201d said Teresa Steckler, a beef specialist with the University of Illinois\u2019 College of Agriculture. \u201cIn southwest Nebraska, in the sandhills, a lot of those pastures got burnt, and we\u2019ve had fires in the Panhandle, where we\u2019ve actually lost cattle due to the fires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, where All Grass Farms graze their cattle, conditions are currently \u201cabnormally dry,\u201d according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been dry, so we\u2019re a little worried,\u201d said McConville, explaining that, as a farmer, much of his life \u2014 and business \u2014 relies on conditions out of his control.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re hoping for some rain soon, as is everybody, I guess, in this part of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Drought damages pasturelands, reduces the natural feed supply and restricts water access needed for raising livestock. The result is additional operating costs \u2014 or worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDrought-induced herd liquidation\u201d as Steckler calls it.<\/p>\n<p>If ranchers don\u2019t have the essential resources needed to raise cattle \u2014 feed, water and space for grazing \u2014 they\u2019re forced to cull their herds. That means even less meat making it to production.<\/p>\n<p>But drought isn\u2019t the only environmental factor. Disease poses another threat.<\/p>\n<p>Ranchers have to be vigilant about ticks, flies and other pests that can infect livestock. Asian longhorned ticks, cattle fever ticks and Ceratopogonidae, or no-see-ums, spread diseases that can be fatal to cattle.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, an outbreak of New World screwworm in Mexico has become a cause for concern. To stop the spread of the disease, the U.S. cut off all live cattle imports from the country in July 2025 \u2014 an added supply constraint given Mexico is regularly a top supplier to its northern neighbor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur calf crops have gotten smaller for the last eight years, so when you take that, and then you don\u2019t get another million head of cattle, roughly, that you would have gotten from Mexico, that makes that tight supply even tighter,\u201d commented Peel.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these efforts, in early June the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered the flesh-eating parasite in a calf in Texas. Since then, 34 cases have been confirmed in pets and livestock in the U.S., the majority being found in cattle, according to data from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.<\/p>\n<p>In response, federal and state agriculture officials have taken action to \u201ccontain and monitor the movement of the pest,\u201d including implementing quarantines for livestock in affected areas.<\/p>\n<p>While working to stop its spread, the USDA claims the presence of New World screwworm domestically has not altered the cattle supply, though the agency acknowledged it could drive even higher prices due to costly on-farm surveillance and prevention measures.<\/p>\n<h4>Economic factors<\/h4>\n<p>While environmental factors are contributing to the tight beef supply, so are a number of economic variables.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been several factors that have been impacting our cattle numbers that I don\u2019t think (are)\u00a0 receiving enough attention,\u201d said Steckler. \u201cOne of those factors is the fact that we have an aging population of producers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, the average age of American producers, those who operate farms and ranches, is 58.1. Beef producers skew slightly older, with nearly 40% aged 65+.<\/p>\n<p>Cattle farming is demanding work for individuals of any age, and with the market swinging in producers\u2019 favor, many see it as good a time as any to cease operations.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4314\">How Warriors\u2019 star rookie Yaxel Lendeborg remains his own biggest critic<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe industry has been talking about and dealing with the aging population of agricultural producers. That\u2019s not a new issue, but \u2026 maybe they\u2019ve decided this is the time that they\u2019re going to get out, they\u2019re going to take advantage of the high cattle prices now,\u201d said Peel.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not just a matter of older farmers aging out of the workforce. There\u2019s also not enough young labor to take over those operations and their herds. With already slim margins and a grueling 365-day-a-year workload, fewer people see cattle farming as a viable way to make a living.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a young person really wants to get into the business, land costs, equipment, facilities, the cattle, it\u2019s extremely expensive, and profit margins are not high enough for them to be able to make a go of it,\u201d said Steckler.<\/p>\n<p>Given the inherent uncertainty in the cattle industry, those who do decide to \u201cmake a go of it\u201d are often forced to rely on other jobs as a supplemental \u2014 and sometimes primary \u2014 source of income.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t make it, unfortunately, without having an off-farm job to provide that income stability,\u201d said Jackie Batista who, along with her husband, runs Irish Grove Farms in Pecatonica, Illinois. Both keep full-time jobs outside of their farming operations.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, farmers are not immune to inflation. As everyday Americans deal with higher prices associated with food, transportation and housing, so do farmers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFeed, operating costs, (and) diesel fuel doubled in the last month,\u201d said Sean Townsend of Townsend Cattle and Meats, a family-owned cow-calf operation out of McHenry, Illinois.<\/p>\n<p>Like everything else, raising cattle is getting more expensive. From the land they lease, to the grass and grain they feed their steers and the fuel needed to both operate farm equipment and transport meat across the country, prices are on the rise. Overall, inflation is up 4.2% year-over-year, according to the latest consumer price report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not sitting back just getting rich off of low cattle numbers and high beef prices,\u201d said Batista.<\/p>\n<h4>Consumer demand<\/h4>\n<p>But despite stubbornly high prices, people are still buying beef. There\u2019s been a resurgence in protein-heavy diets and updated nutritional guidance released jointly by the USDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services puts increased emphasis on whole foods like red meat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s popular to eat beef again,\u201d Steckler said. \u201cIf you look at the numbers, people are not backing off even at the higher prices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, demand is only likely to increase in the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>Across the country, summer marks the start of grilling season, with backyard barbecues and all-beef burgers and brats considered a warm-weather staple.<\/p>\n<p>Already, ground beef patties are retailing for $6.77 a pound on average, with grass-fed, USDA Organic varieties going for $9.89 a pound, according to the latest  report. The average price for a pound of brisket is $6.18, and roast beef from the deli averages $14.01 per pound.<\/p>\n<div><ul><div><div><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Angus cattle graze in fresh pastures at All Grass Farms...\" class=\"wp-image-4318\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/14082b9fa9657d4040cc181b70d5d17a-1024x683.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/14082b9fa9657d4040cc181b70d5d17a-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/14082b9fa9657d4040cc181b70d5d17a-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/14082b9fa9657d4040cc181b70d5d17a-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/14082b9fa9657d4040cc181b70d5d17a-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/14082b9fa9657d4040cc181b70d5d17a.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Angus cattle graze in fresh pastures at All Grass Farms on June 30, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. All Grass Farms has about 130 red and black angus and all are grass-fed. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cliff McConville, owner of All Grass Farms, secures a line...\" class=\"wp-image-4319\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f45f326abbbb8434042e54d31e8dd6a-1024x683.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f45f326abbbb8434042e54d31e8dd6a-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f45f326abbbb8434042e54d31e8dd6a-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f45f326abbbb8434042e54d31e8dd6a-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f45f326abbbb8434042e54d31e8dd6a-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1f45f326abbbb8434042e54d31e8dd6a.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Cliff McConville, owner of All Grass Farms, secures a line of portable electric fencing on June 30, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Angus cattle graze in fresh pastures at All Grass Farms...\" class=\"wp-image-4320\" height=\"615\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/538c7a6c31281b36e00e66767c66f284-1024x615.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/538c7a6c31281b36e00e66767c66f284-1024x615.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/538c7a6c31281b36e00e66767c66f284-300x180.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/538c7a6c31281b36e00e66767c66f284-768x461.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/538c7a6c31281b36e00e66767c66f284-1536x922.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/538c7a6c31281b36e00e66767c66f284.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Angus cattle graze in fresh pastures at All Grass Farms on June 30, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cliff McConville, owner of All Grass Farms, drives his cart...\" class=\"wp-image-4321\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9c15bf20082c47501f1bc62535a5b7b8-1024x683.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9c15bf20082c47501f1bc62535a5b7b8-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9c15bf20082c47501f1bc62535a5b7b8-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9c15bf20082c47501f1bc62535a5b7b8-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9c15bf20082c47501f1bc62535a5b7b8-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9c15bf20082c47501f1bc62535a5b7b8.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Cliff McConville, owner of All Grass Farms, drives his cart out to the farm fields on June 30, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cliff McConville spools a portable electric fence at All Grass...\" class=\"wp-image-4322\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c1517ad1de2f85e80a30a5254a67143b-1024x684.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c1517ad1de2f85e80a30a5254a67143b-1024x684.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c1517ad1de2f85e80a30a5254a67143b-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c1517ad1de2f85e80a30a5254a67143b-768x513.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c1517ad1de2f85e80a30a5254a67143b-1536x1026.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c1517ad1de2f85e80a30a5254a67143b.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>(Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)<\/div><div>Cliff McConville spools a portable electric fence at All Grass Farms on June 30, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Several times a day, McConville opens up different paddocks of pasture for his herd of 130 red and black angus cattle to feed on. <\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Julie Ninos, of Algonquin, looks over the beef selections at...\" class=\"wp-image-4323\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cb03b47314ebfc414ca80b1dc76bef78-1024x664.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cb03b47314ebfc414ca80b1dc76bef78-1024x664.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cb03b47314ebfc414ca80b1dc76bef78-300x195.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cb03b47314ebfc414ca80b1dc76bef78-768x498.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cb03b47314ebfc414ca80b1dc76bef78-1536x997.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cb03b47314ebfc414ca80b1dc76bef78.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>(Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)<\/div><div>Julie Ninos, of Algonquin, looks over the beef selections at All Grass Farms on June 30, 2026, in Dundee. Ninos shops here regularly and buys beef when she \u201ccan afford it.\u201d  <\/div><\/div><\/li><\/div><\/div><\/ul><div><button>Show Caption<\/button><div><span>1<\/span> of <span>6<\/span><\/div><div>Angus cattle graze in fresh pastures at All Grass Farms on June 30, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. All Grass Farms has about 130 red and black angus and all are grass-fed. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)\n<\/div><span>Expand<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p>But that\u2019s the cheap stuff. Want something a little nicer? A tenderloin steak is currently priced at $21.50 per pound nationwide. A year ago that same cut would\u2019ve been $6.50 cheaper.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just groceries. Dining out is getting more expensive too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have absolutely seen a rise in beef prices,\u201d said Drucker, the iconic Chicago drive-in\u2019s operator.<\/p>\n<p>Like operating a farm, the cost of running a restaurant is going up. Chicago-area business owners say a whole slew of expenses contribute, from labor and energy to paper products and, of course, beef.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s our biggest cost, is the cost of beef, and our margins are getting squeezed on a continual basis,\u201d said John Aretos, co-owner of Johnnie\u2019s Beef, a family-owned Italian beef joint with locations in Elmwood Park and Arlington Heights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince 2022 our beef prices, in particular, have gone up 45%,\u201d said Aretos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s maddening, you know. It\u2019s pretty maddening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That figure is in line with what folks are seeing across the country. Since January 2022, the average price of beef has increased by 48%, according to consumer price data from BLS. In the Midwest, prices have gone up more than 60% in that same period.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s pushing shops like Drucker\u2019s and Aretos\u2019 to raise their prices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we raise prices, we don\u2019t do it nonchalantly,\u201d said Drucker. \u201cWe do it with a lot of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amid rising costs, food and beverage retailers feel a constant push and pull between staying profitable and staying loyal to their longtime customers who\u2019ve come to expect a certain quality of food at a certain price point. Aretos calls it \u201can obsession almost\u201d \u2014 evaluating expenses and the cost of goods sold and comparing that to the prices charged for each menu item.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(We have) to be able to charge enough that a customer is willing to pay, but still cover our costs at the same time,\u201d Drucker explained.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, fries and their namesake Superdawg, a pure beef hot dog with mustard, chopped onions, hot peppers, tangy piccalilli and a dill pickle spear served on a poppy seed bun, sells for $9.30.<\/p>\n<p>But with beef costs showing little signs of dropping, more price hikes could be coming this summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs much as we don\u2019t like to raise prices, we may be forced to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>One positive? With grocery prices skyrocketing, buying local could be a cheaper alternative now.<\/p>\n<p>Townsend said he\u2019s selling his ground beef for $6.50 per pound out of his farm market store, at least 50 cents cheaper than what you\u2019ll find in popular Chicago-area grocery stores. At Jewel-Osco a pound of ground beef costs around $8.49 a pound. At Whole Foods it\u2019s $9.49, and at Mariano\u2019s it\u2019s $10.29 a pound, according to the retailers\u2019 websites. Even at Aldi, typically considered the more affordable option among big U.S. grocery chains, ground beef is retailing for $6.99 a pound.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really can\u2019t keep our shelves full,\u201d said Townsend.<\/p>\n<h4>The dilemma<\/h4>\n<p>Wherever you shop, don\u2019t expect prices to come down anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p>The supply issue isn\u2019t something that can be fixed overnight. Unlike other livestock, cows are big, slow-growing animals that only produce one offspring at a time and take about nine months to calve. After that calf is born, it takes another 24 months before it\u2019s ready for slaughter.<\/p>\n<p>Coupled with processing and distribution times, it\u2019s about three years from the time a cow is bred to the time its meat hits the market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like raising chickens, where in 21 days they\u2019re hatched,\u201d said Steckler. \u201cIt takes a lot longer for the cattle market to rebound. I would estimate it\u2019ll take us five to 10 years to get to level, steady numbers. And that\u2019s if we don\u2019t have a continuation in the decrease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To actually expand the domestic cattle inventory and return to \u201clevel, steady numbers,\u201d you need heifers \u2014 or young female cows \u2014 for breeding. But with the beef supply so low, many of those breeder cows are being used instead for meat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a choice. You can either eat them now or you can invest in future production, and that\u2019s the dilemma that we\u2019re in right now,\u201d said Peel.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s somewhat of a paradox. To solve the cattle shortage and bring beef prices down, you have to hold more cows back for breeding, which means less meat making its way to market in the interim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn order to grow the herd, we have to actually take that tight supply and make it even tighter,\u201d he explained.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4312\">Alvarez\u2019s 112th-minute goal lifts Argentina past 10-man Switzerland and into World Cup semis<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In other words?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s got to get worse before it gets better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The cost of ground beef has already surpassed all-time highs twice this year, and cattle ranchers and beef market experts alike doubt it\u2019ll be the last.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why is beef so expensive? And can consumers expect lower prices anytime soon? \u2018It\u2019s got to get worse before it gets better.\u2019 - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4324\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why is beef so expensive? 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