The prices of beef are hot this summer.
The prices of meat and ground meat have just reached high records, according to the June inflation data of the Office of Labor Statistics, which have tracked the prices of beef since 1984. Even so, the demand has remained strong. Beef is the second most consumed meat in the United States, after all, and the summer barbecue season is a particularly popular moment.
“The maximum demand time for res generally occurs around July 4,” said Bernt Nelson, an agricultural economist of the American Federation of the Agricultural Office. “During the second half of the year, demand is seasonally slowed to beef.” That means that prices could also go down a bit.
But even after the Americans kept their grills for the season, the US meat industry will continue to deal with long -term supply problems.
Cattle flocks have been reduced in recent decades. Another 1% of 2024 to 2025 fell, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The number of meat cows that have given birth has also dropped by 1%, reaching a new record. That means that the current flock of cattle is the smallest in the nation since 1951, according to the agricultural office.
Climate problems have exacerbated scarcity. Agricultural experts say that drought in recent years in the plains and the upper part of the west medium has dried the grass supply for cattle. He has forced farmers to reduce their herds, and cattle count has not yet recovered.
“Drought conditions really put a lot of stress in our farmers and their pastures in which they trust to help cattle,” Nelson said. “When this happened, they placed a large number of females in the food for the market instead of retaining them to replace the flock. And that led us to this slow but constant contraction in the flock of cattle.”
Import problems have also restricted cattle supply. The United States government suspended cattle imports in May in May due to the parasite screw worm that affects cattle there.
More challenges wait. The 50% tariff of President Donald Trump about imports from Brazil’s imports, scheduled to begin on August 1, could further adjust the supply. About 8% of American meat is imported from places like Brazil, Argentina and Australia, said Michael Swanson, main agricultural economist at Wells Fargo. With imminent tariffs, Brazilian pilots are rethinking export to the United States, according to a lobby group of the industry.
Ground meat averages $ 6.12 per pound, 11.84% more than a year ago, according to bls, which means that a 6 -oun hamburger Patty could cost around 24 cents more now than last summer. The steak is averaging $ 11.49 per Libra, 8.05% more than a year ago.
In total, the Agriculture Department predicts that meat and veal prices could increase 6.8% in general this year. Waiting smaller price increases for pork and poultry.
Companies, in turn, come more in chicken, with fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Chipotle offer new chicken options. Tyson Foods, one of the largest meat companies in the United States, has also recently launched new chicken items.
“When we have an environment that is a challenge in beef and has an environment in which there is probably less availability of beef, it is useful and certainly in the total complex to be able to administer that multichannel multichannel portfolio,” said Tyson Foods Football Foods, Curt Calaway, in a May presentation.
Walmart is changing its meat strategy, opening its first installation of property beef and operated ready last month. The retail and giant giant says that the new installation will help it increase capacity and improve its supply chain, reduce costs and help consumers obtain high quality meat at low prices.
While cattle producers are trying to rebuild their herds, the recovery of the meat industry can take years, they said agriculture experts.
“If I want to have more chickens, I just have to wait three to six months,” Swanson said. “If I want to expect more cattle, I have to wait three to four years to get much more cattle.”
