What Are Beef Prices Like in Your Area?

[UTTransplant]

I bought a 4.3 pound chuck roast for making a pot roast. It was $8.99 a pound! A year ago I could buy the same piece of meat for $4.99/pound and a decent NY strip for $10.99/pound. Now sirloin steaks are $24.99 a pound. This was at a regional grocery chain well-known for their meats (Fairway in the Midwest, they still have butchers!). I bet the steaks for Father’s Day are a bit smaller than they were last year for a lot of people.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Yes, I agree the price of beef has increased dramatically!
The beef is also much tougher than it used to be, and even the top grade prime is not as good. I’m told the reason is direct result of Covid-19.
Apparently during the pandemic did not allow farmers to be able to tend the herd as well during that time and it will take years to recover… I guess that makes sense?
Bill

 

[8Muddypaws]

I read that California (and probably other states) decided to reduce the allowable number of cattle per acre.

Apparently they forgot what caused the dust bowl.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Last month my daughter and a friend went halves on half a cow cut and wrapped for $5.75 a finished pound from a local Amish farm.

 

[msw3113]

Last month my daughter and a friend went halves on half a cow cut and wrapped for $5.75 a finished pound from a local Amish farm.

Our summertime neighbor does something similar. It makes me wish we had a freezer.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Our summertime neighbor does something similar. It makes me wish we had a freezer.

Some of my daughter's beef will go in my freezer, since her's doesn't have a lot of room left.

 

[Laura & Charles]

Some of my daughter's beef will go in my freezer, since her's doesn't have a lot of room left.

If you/your daughter are still short on space, I’ve got some room available on my grill y’all can use.

 

[8Muddypaws]

Our granddaughter was involved in 4H all through school and has an Ag degree from Fresno State. She gots connections and buys a half a steer whenever she needs one to feed her growing family. She occasionally sends some our way too.

Even Costco beef has gone through the roof.

 

[UTTransplant]

Our granddaughter was involved in 4H all through school and has an Ag degree from Fresno State. She gots connections and buys a half a steer whenever she needs one to feed her growing family. She occasionally sends some our way too.

Even Costco beef has gone through the roof.

My oldest son seemingly knows everyone in town, so he has “connections.” He buys a half a beef, a full pig, and sometimes a lamb. Then he shares it with his in-laws and his brother. We don’t get any because we are gone so much, though he has offered. Oh, and sometimes the in-laws get a deer or two. Lots of meat.

 

[Isaac-1]

I have no clue what beef is selling for in the grocery store, my family has a cattle ranch. What I can tell you is that A LOT of the markup is coming from the meat processing side, while cattle prices are up at the moment, they are not up enough to explain what is going on in the stores. We typically have one processed for family use by a local meat processing company every year and in the last 10 years their price to process one yearling calf has went from $400 up to $875

 

[CamperAL]

I buy beef tenderloin at Costco. In the past it has been $16 per pound. Just made a trip there and bought beef tenderloin for $19 per pound. Not a significant jump.

I agree that processing plants are the middle man and might be taking advantage of things. I'm close to Amish Land here but I've purchased less than good meat before from them.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Hi CamperAl, do you find the quality of the tenderloin at Costco the same as say 7 or 8 years ago?
I find their Choice grade to be lower, and the Prime grade that I buy around the holidays, usually a full cryovac prime rib, to be less quality than before COVID…
Thx Bill

 

[Oldgator73]

I was just our property in Marion, VA doing some work on the cabin and thought I would make some spaghetti for dinner. Hamburger was $6.59lb. Ended up getting Italian sausage instead for $3.99 lb.

 

[CamperAL]

Hi Bill,

I have to try what I just bought as I would return it back if not good but about three years back I fixed steaks for my son and his two boys. I wondered why they weren't eating the steak until I took a bite of mine. Must have got an old cow or something else was wrong with the beef. Worst steak I have ever bought from them. We fixed somethings else then.

I didn't buy from them over a year until I was planning another camping trip. Last two times I have bought tenderloin from them has been very good. They may have some sort of quality control issue. I've also bought at the Tucson Costco and that has been good.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Thank you for your response CamperAl, I was not criticizing Costco specifically, more like all the beef in general…
I think you are closer to “beef country” so likely get fresher meat… I just find that all the beef quality has gone down in general and may be starting to return in the northeast lately.
Bill

 

[Babe2201]

The beef prices took a big jump in our area about 3 or 4 years ago. We have not seen a big jump in the last year or so. NY strips around here are usually around $17 a lb. and hamburg around $6.

 

[tlmgcamp1]

I have no clue what beef is selling for in the grocery store, my family has a cattle ranch. What I can tell you is that A LOT of the markup is coming from the meat processing side, while cattle prices are up at the moment, they are not up enough to explain what is going on in the stores. We typically have one processed for family use by a local meat processing company every year and in the last 10 years their price to process one yearling calf has went from $400 up to $875

I read somewhere that the gov't decided a couple of years ago that they needed to create more competition in the meat processing industry because a handful of big companies were doing most of the business. I didn't look into it but I would guess that they increased the costs for the big processers through taxes, fees, or other restrictions, so the smaller processors without the economy of scale could compete. Haven't really explored it, but I can see that happening

 

[Chef Duane]

Regular Ground Beef at Kroger's here in Plano, TX. $5.33/lb.

 

[UTTransplant]

Chef Duane, and that’s the cheap stuff!

Big processors control almost all the beef sold in the US. Ranchers are getting shafted. It is true that herds were downsized a few years back, and it takes a long time to increase the herd size at just one calf per year! That’s the reason pork is so much less. It is easy to make lots of little piggies.

 

[Isaac-1]

Raising herd size is a complex issue, as you have to manage inbreeding, cows aging out from being productive breeders, and cost to purchase replacement cows, as well as trying to predict not only market conditions, but local long range weather forecast, etc.