One of the sources:
A.) Lewiston Trubune
“Sticker shock at the meat counter”
8/15/2016
https://www.lmtribune.com/agriculture/sticker-shock-at-the-meat-counter-ab3650ff
B.) Additional things to think about:
“The 2026 Iran war has drastically accelerated the rise in U.S. beef prices by triggering severe energy shocks and supply-chain bottlenecks. While a domestic cattle shortage laid the groundwork for high prices, the conflict has compounded these issues by aggressively driving up the core costs of producing, processing, and moving meat.
1. The Strait of Hormuz Blockade and Diesel SpikesThe ongoing maritime conflict and blockade of the Strait of Hormuz caused what energy analysts call the largest oil market disruption in history.
Transportation Overhead:
Global crude oil prices spiked, pushing U.S. diesel prices to multi-year highs earlier this year.
Perishable Logistics: Because cattle must be trucked multiple times throughout their lifecycle (from ranches to feedlots to processors), record-high diesel costs have been directly added to the retail price of ground beef. Perishable foods are highly sensitive to these freight increases.
2. Doubling Fertilizer and Feed CostsThe agricultural sector has faced a severe input crisis due to shifting energy markets.
Natural Gas Connection: Natural gas is the primary component used to manufacture nitrogen-based fertilizers. As the war drove up natural gas and utility rates, fertilizer costs nearly doubled.
Feedlot Expenses: High fertilizer prices made growing foundational crops like corn significantly more expensive. Because corn feed accounts for 60% to 65% of the total cost of raising a pound of beef, these inflated feedlot expenses immediately trickled down to consumers.
3. Elevated Processing and Utility Costs:
Keeping meat safe requires massive amounts of electricity and natural gas for industrial processing and cold storage. Under the pressure of wartime inflation, domestic utility rates have climbed—including an 8% rise in electricity and a 12% increase in natural gas. Packing plants have passed these elevated operational overhead costs directly to grocery store meat cases.
4. Compounding Tariff Pressures:
The geopolitical instability from the war has run parallel to aggressive trade policies and import restrictions. The combination of global supply-chain friction and heavy tariffs means U.S. ranchers and processors face high costs for machinery, equipment, and alternative inputs, with few affordable international workarounds.” (Google AI)
The price of beef(which was record highs well above $7 to $9 per pound during Biden administration) , nor gasoline (which was $4.00 and $5.00 a gallon, driven by broad economic inflation during the Biden administration), is what is important right now as President Trump’s administration resets the the global trade to be America First. The prices will come down and the USA will be in a much superior place when this all comes to fruition. We have to hold on to our lead and it will take another America First administration to put the icing on this cake. People like you, need to take a step back and educate yourselves on what it truly taking place here.
Strange, feed has gone up a little (approx. 6%) at my usual feed store (part of a chain) but nowhere near doubling, despite it requiring more transportation, more handling, etc., than bulk feed.
The time it takes for a beef cow to go from birth to processing takes three years at minimum. The reduction in heads the past few years is coming back to bite us.