Remember our warnings about the price of beef?

 

Looks like the lengthy drought in Texas is finally making its way through to the end of the food chain.

The drought last year had a drastic impact on farmers in the cattle industry and the aftermath can be seen now.

The harvest season is about to start, but many cattle farmers sold most of their cattle due to the drought last season.

“Last year and especially this year we have lower production because during the drought we sold all those cows or we sold more cows than we had,” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Economist, Francisco Abello said.

The cost for farmers to raise and maintain cattle is higher due to less production.

“Now that we have lower production, we have lower supply which means higher prices,” Abello said.

The beef industry has faced the sharpest decline due to the drought with production being down an estimated 26 billion lbs and that’s not including the recent panhandle fires.

The true impact of the panhandle fires on agriculture and cattle has yet to be truly measured and experts say it will only add to the setbacks from the drought.

. . .

The price impact has not only impacted farmers but it’s affecting consumers as well.

“When I first started this say four years ago, the prices that we are paying now are double. If I could get beef say at $5.99 a pound, now it’s $9.99 a pound so then that goes over to the consumer normally who catches the full rift of that,” Davenports Grocery Owner, Rickey Lowe says.

“The market right now and the way the economy is, everybody is watching prices, everybody is watching the dollar, and if you’re not watching the dollar it slides out of your hand and into someone else’s and it just doesn’t come back as easy as it use to,” Lowe said.

. . .

The timetable for when the drought and cattle production will improve is still unknown.

There's more at the link.

I can tell you that when I drive through northern Texas or southern Oklahoma, I'm seeing very few cattle grazing in the fields compared to previous years - a lot less than half as many, I'd guesstimate.  I'm also informed that where arrangements used to have to be made several weeks in advance to take cattle to local slaughterhouses, now it can sometimes be arranged in a matter of days, because the demand for their services is so much smaller.

I'm also seeing mostly cheaper cuts of meat (and generally lower quality meat) on offer at local supermarkets.  One can get the "good stuff", of course, but one has to ask for it, and the cost per pound is a real blow to the wallet.  In 2022 I was able to buy filet mignon for about $15 per pound.  Now, it's more than double that for the best meat.  (Not that we routinely buy filet mignon, you understand;  I'm just citing it as an example.)  I'm very glad that we filled our freezer with half a cow a couple of years ago, and added a lamb and some other meat as well.  We still have a lot of it in store, and it'll keep us going through this year for sure.  After that, we'll hope that prices come down to a more affordable level.  (That may not work out for us, of course.  If it doesn't, we'll be eating more vegetarian meals, I guess!  Fortunately, I like vegetarian food if it's a good recipe, well prepared.)

What's the price and quality of meat like in your area, dear readers?  Please let us know in Comments.  It might be useful to compare notes around the country.

Peter