Farmers Get Creative as Profits from Soaring Beef Prices Fail to Trickle Down

Contact Your Elected Officials

STEINAUER, Neb.—It would be hard for Americans to miss that taking the family out for a steak dinner has become more and more of a luxury.

Wholesale price of beef was up some 40 percent in May, compared to the average in 2019, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data. Supermarkets and restauranteurs have partly absorbed the price increase and partly passed it on to customers.

Curiously, however, there seems to be neither a shortage of beef, nor a drop in demand. In fact, ranchers have so much cattle, they struggle to get it off their hands and meat packers, it appears, are running near capacity.

The unusual result is that small farmers struggle for survival even as packers haul in blockbuster profits.

The situation is tied to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and the government response to it. The initial outbreaks and lockdown measures disrupted beef processing capacity, creating a cattle glut that the industry still hasn’t cleared.

In addition, many Americans, shored up by unemployment and stimulus payments, are not too eager to pick up jobs. Meanwhile, trillions of dollars injected into the American economy are gradually being spent, bidding up prices of the products most in demand.

Finally, beef exports to China and other markets jumped in recent months, at least partially due to Argentina’s 30-day beef export ban instituted in mid-May to stymie soaring domestic beef prices.

Facing disappointing cattle prices and increasing feed prices, many American farmers have increasingly focused on alternative channels to get their beef to customers. They would team up with local meat lockers and offer the whole animal directly to consumers. Some even launched a project to build their own meat packing facility.

A March-April survey by Beef Checkoff, a marketing and research industry group, indicated that Americans plan to barbecue this year even more than in 2020, when the pandemic lockdowns forced people to stay home, prompting a massive grilling season.

With both prices and demand this strong, farmers are looking hard for ways to bypass the packers and market straight to consumers. That’s where local butchers and meat lockers come in.

BY PETR SVAB

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

James Franklin’s contract fallout

Penn State’s decision to fire head coach James Franklin after a disappointing 22–21 home loss to Northwestern will cost an estimated $56 million buyout. 

Trump’s Middle East Trip Led to Historic Breakthroughs

Trump’s bold, unconventional strategy helped end the Israel-Hamas war and set the stage for a more stable, prosperous Middle East.

Pretending Really Hard

The world is real and so are its problems, too. Reality is the enemy of liberals, even though they are pretending, really hard, that it is not.

Trump 2.0’s Eurasian Balancing Act Has Failed

Trump's Eurasian balancing act has failed due to his arrogant and aggressive approach towards all three countries.

Should Palestinian clans rebelling against Hamas be given Gaza?

Hamas’s October 7 attack exposed its violent ideology, showing cruelty toward its enemies and also against the Palestinian people it claims to defend.

Trump, Patel Confirm FBI Special Agents Will Get Paid During Shutdown

FBI special agents will receive their paychecks despite the government shutdown, according to President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Trump Admin Withholds $41 Million From California Over English-Language Trucking Rules

Trump admin withholds $40.6M in California transportation funds, citing failure to meet federal English proficiency rules for truck drivers.

An Inconvenient Study – Feature Film

Journalist Del Bigtree challenged a top infectious disease expert in 2016 to a vaxxed vs. unvaxxed study. The long-hidden results are finally revealed.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin’s Shutdown-Related Layoffs

A federal judge on Oct. 15 temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to lay off certain federal employees during the government shutdown. 

Trump Names Longtime Adviser Dan Scavino to Key Personnel Position

One of President Trump’s longtime advisers, Dan Scavino, is going to be in charge of selecting and appointing key positions within the executive branch.

First Lady’s Effort Helped Reunite 8 War-Displaced Children With Their Families

First lady Melania Trump said 8 children impacted by the fighting between Ukraine and Russia were reunited with their families on Oct. 9.

Trump to Impose New 100 Percent Tariff on China on Nov. 1

President Trump said that the US will impose an additional 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods and export controls on critical software starting on Nov. 1.

Trump Admin Agrees to $20 Billion Rescue Plan for Argentina

The U.S. government has finalized a $20 billion economic rescue plan for Argentina, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Oct. 9.
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central