Bad news at the grill as beef prices hit all-time high

The cost to fire up a backyard barbecue is going up.

The price of wholesale beef hit an all-time high Friday and there is no indication it will decline this year. While the price of beef alone is up at least 5 percent, that summer cookout is going to feel much more expensive to any serious barbecue aficionado buying good-quality meat. “His meat has gone up. His buns have gone up. Everything’s gone up,” said Jim Early, the founder and president of the North Carolina Barbecue Society. Once you count all the fixins – ranging from brisket and chicken to barbecue slaw and salad – the price has doubled from just a few years ago. “

So, if all goes well, things will get better in the latter of 2014.

The U.S. cattle and calf herd is at its lowest level since 1952 and cattle producers have been hard hit by poor pasture conditions, a poor hay crop, drought in the Southern Plains and late freezing weather, according to a USDA economist. Those problems will linger at least until the second half of 2014, he said. Until then, that tight supply means higher beef prices, particularly for better cuts of meat.

But I REALLY doubt it, due to the drought forecast for this year being as bad or worse than last year.

Early said the price increases won’t be as obvious to anyone buying factory-raised meats, which often use growth hormones to speed the fattening process and cut other costs.

YUCK! It tastes bad, and that's exactly what you're getting from the grocery stores.
People need to buy straight from a small processing plant that utilizes the farmers, NOT the large cattle operations.

I bought a side of beef straight from a small local feedlot in January, which after processing cost me $2.38 per pound. That is for EVERYTHING from hamburger to steak to roasts. $2. 38 per pound! It is lean, it is delicious and free of chemicals and preservatives. Plus, the steaks are not glued together with meat glue.

I know some will be along shortly to say not to eat meat at all, but sorry, I LIKE meat. Especially beef.

NBC NEWS

Higher prices wont stop me from grilling out this summer. As long as the meat is grass fed / organic I am okay with paying a bit more to continue my summer tradition!

Good stuff, we are from Canada and when ever we can we buy local for our Beef. It is much cheaper just like you say and it is totally chemical free.

However we are from another country looking in from the outside.

We can buy a whole hog cut and butchered to our liking for less money than we would pay for one quarter of the said hog at the grocery store.

S&F

Regards, Iwinder

Bring on the prices, I need my red meat...

Grilling + summer = happiness

I'll pay a little more for happiness

Originally posted by jhn7537
Bring on the prices, I need my red meat...

Grilling + summer = happiness

I'll pay a little more for happiness

Yep, that grilled steak is the BEST...

got me some elk burgers. cost me .50 cents for the .308 round.

Im a cheap skate

Originally posted by camaro68ss
got me some elk burgers. cost me .50 cents for the .308 round.

Im a cheap skate

edit on 7-5-2013 by camaro68ss because: (no reason given)

sounds more like you are a cheap steak

reply to post by tinker9917

But I REALLY doubt it, due to the drought forecast for this year being as bad or worse than last year

What drought, I have seen lakes higher than before and with 16 inches of snow in the Wisconsin in May, I think its a conspericay to raise the price of beef so they can make a buck or two knowing that the grills will be fired up and cooking no matter what.

I'm sure all the cows that are droping dead arn't helping

Originally posted by jhn7537
Bring on the prices, I need my red meat...

Grilling + summer = happiness

I'll pay a little more for happiness

yeah but i know people that wont and now will go for the cheap stuff

Originally posted by WanderingThe3rd

Originally posted by jhn7537
Bring on the prices, I need my red meat...

Grilling + summer = happiness

I'll pay a little more for happiness

yeah but i know people that wont and now will go for the cheap stuff

Come over to my place to get your red meat fix, the more the merrier... Steaks and burgers for everyone!!! And salads for you vegetarians out there

Doesn't bother me.. we can't afford to eat good stuff and aren't going to eat the cheap stuff. We have pretty much switched over to chicken as the only meat that we eat other then that its vegetables and fruits. We have replaced most recipes that call for meat with different squashes and its just as good to us if not better in some meals. Of course also much more healthy.

My tomatoes are starting to ripen also so we are eating lots of those and other good stuff from the garden I started this year. All gmo free crops of course, the garden is going crazy some things we can't eat fast enough. I have some chocolate mint and its taking over all the spare spaces in the garden lol everyday I go out there its moved like another 4-5in out covering more and more ground.

Kinda shocking to see all the people that are basically saying "Price gouge me, please"...

I understand the sentiment of people that are willing to pay a bit more to uphold the 'summer grilling' tradition - and the love of beef in general...

What puzzles me, is snarky 'bring -it- on' attitude.

When the prices become so exorbitant that we can no longer keep our customary ways of mass consumption-
You'll probably not be singing the same tune.

*I say - we should revamp the beef industry- into a greener, healthier, cooperative, with more consistent pricing across the board.

I knew this was going to happen last year. It was all over the commodity news.

I sure hope this summer isn't as bad as the last one. I've got a lot more land than cattle, so having to buy hay is unheard of, but I had to buy hay this winter. Also had to cut the herd size in half for protection. I'd love to market mine entirely on the local/healthy front, but the market really seems to be limited. If you buy a half or a quarter (or a whole steer) you have to have a freezer to store it. Not everybody's got that.

Mine are, however, still grass fed with nothing added. Not even petroleum based fertilizers. I'm using rotational grazing to keep the grass healthy as I can. Whoever buys mine at the sale barn gets a good healthy animal, that is of course until they take it to the feed lot for the general market.

Originally posted by 19KTankCommander
reply to post by tinker9917

 

But I REALLY doubt it, due to the drought forecast for this year being as bad or worse than last year

What drought, I have seen lakes higher than before and with 16 inches of snow in the Wisconsin in May, I think its a conspericay to raise the price of beef so they can make a buck or two knowing that the grills will be fired up and cooking no matter what.

I don't think so. I work in the corn industry. There will be pretty much no corn available for purchase as of July. There are already industrial shutdowns due to this shortage. Corn harvest is not till at least October. We do NOT have enough corn to make it till harvest. If we start the year off with no corn, have another drought to where there is an increased shortage for next year, we are in BIG TROUBLE. Not just food-wise, but also the products that is made from corn, which is in 70% of the products we buy.

dought monitor
drought to worsen 2013

good,.
the beef industry is selling you nothing but cholesterol and heart failure

100 % grassfed beef only folks not GMO corn fed

We are not just talking just about beef anymore, we are talking about a CORN SHORTAGE which is in 70% of everything you buy, from paper towels and shampoo to tires for your vehicles. Prices on everything will skyrocket, NOT JUST BEEF.

I rarely eat beef I can't afford it. I eat a lot of fish that I catch myself. I eat a lot of salmon perch walleye and bluegills. My diets gonna drastically change once the jumping carp take over the great lakes. I'm thinking of moving to another state once it happens. Catching my own food saves a lot of money and I'll be damned if I'm gonna live off Asian carp. I'm thinking Florida might be the place to go.