U.S. beef prices reach record highs as cattle industry struggles to keep costs down
U.S. beef prices reach record highs as cattle industry struggles to keep costs down
Seems like this is one industry that's entirely inside the United States, what the hell are they struggling to keep the price down on? Does the grass not grow under the sun any more?
Does the grass not grow under the sun any more?
Didn't you hear? Drump slapped a 1,190% tariff on sunlight
Fucking outer space terrorists and their monopoly on light! Make America Bright Again!!!
Beef prices are bought and sold on the commodities markets. Prices are directly related to investors speculation and historically have been very loosely related to supply and demand.
Prices go up, so the herd size increases until it reaches market saturation point. Then the prices crash hard and herd sizes decrease. Generally this is a pretty quick up and down. Less than 3 years.
So what's different this time.
Prices went up, herd sized increased. Then prices started to fall so people started to sell down their herds.
Then enter the orange moron with his trade wars. Massive speculation of the value of U.S. beef hit at the same time herd size was decreasing. So people started selling off deeper into their herd because booming money with no guarantees on tomorrow.
So we're are we now, herds are small, prices are high. Availability of animals are low so it pushes prices higher. People have a choice of increasing their herd size and hoping prices hold for 2 years, or selling off deeper into their herd.
The vast majority of calories cattle consume in the USA are from agriculture.
With climate change, hay and such can be scarce.
But, factory farms mostly use corn and grain. I'm not sure where that's sourced, but I'm sure prices are going up since our slave labor workforce is being deported.
Even for cutting and baling hay, a lot of people are having a hard time finding someone who wants to do the work. My mom leases her fields to her neighbors for cattle grazing and hay harvesting, and it took them months to find someone to cut and bale.
Used to be there'd be some high school kid who wanted to earn some extra cash, but apparently this new generation doesn't want to do hard work (and they pay well)
and it took them months to find someone to cut and bale.
but apparently this new generation doesn’t want to do hard work (and they pay well)
The irony of calling out kids for not wanting to do the work you don't want to do either is pretty amusing.
Some people just aren't cut out for back breaking work (myself included). I did construction for a few summers in high school, and that was enough to tell me how important studying is, because I didn't want to wreck my body for someone else's dime.
That sounds like incredibly shitty work, which means they're not paying well (compared to easier options).
A quick search showed it paid relatively in line with other retail and waiting jobs. Which are far less strenuous. Work shortages are a myth. It's always a payment deficit
"They pay well" .... Bullshit.
Pay $100/hour and you'll have a line out the door of applicants to work hard.
Play $15/hr and "Nobody wants to work anymore."
I have no problem not buying beef. Everyone should try not buying beef.
Getting priced out of beef, getting priced out of eggs, I'm already priced out of chicken and god forbid I want a vegetable besides lettuce or carrots. Hell, bulk rice has doubled in price. "Just don't buy it" contributes nothing of substance and makes you sound like a smug, out-of-touch jerk.
Gonna agree that you’re out of touch. It’s not about the beef, it’s about the prices.
The real conversation is why are the people being bled dry? Is this a sign of future indentured servitude? A return to feudalism? Or just plain runaway greed?
I'll tell you what I told the other guy. What else are you going to do other than not buy it? That's the only way of protesting the price. Also, it's bad for you and the environment, so it should be priced as if it's a luxury.
Beef is the new eggs.
Imo, I think this'll piss people off way more than the price of eggs ever did LMAO
True, America loves hamberders. No one is rioting over the price of egg mcmuffins, but big macs fuel the gravy seals. This will hit where it hurts.
Trump said, “High cost of eggs, huh? Hold my beer.”
Become a cucked communist soyboy and eat some tofu. It's better for you anyway.