Shrinking cattle herds = high beef prices

Secure $50 off your beef now! [Shop Survival Frog]( [Final Hours] Save $50 on every case of canned meat. This is your last chance to shop our winter stockpile sale and [save $50 on every case of canned meat.]( The price goes back up tomorrow. Plus, with every Mixed Meat order, we’ll throw in a free black Tough Tesla lighter and a free emergency sleeping bag. _______________________________________________________________________ Rent, gasoline, used cars, eggs, meat – the last few years have hit Americans hard in the pockets. Meat got so expensive it coined a new term: “meatflation.” Even humble slices of lunch meat are running steep, but no meat has felt the punch of inflation harder than beef. A fancy steak dinner date night has become out of reach for many ordinary folks, and even a good old fashioned backyard barbecue costs a pretty penny compared to what it used to. Both premium cuts and simple burgers are costing more as beef prices hit historic highs. But will they go back down this year? Read on to see why beef became so expensive – and why those in the cattle industry don’t foresee beef prices going down in 2023…or 2024. Drought is a Driving Factor Behind Beef Prices Drought conditions in Texas – which ranks first in the nation in the number of cattle – and the greater U.S. have taken a toll on beef prices. Agrilife economist David Anderson says, “Drought affects all aspects of the cattle business. The reason we have culled so many cows this year is because of drought and the cost of corn. Higher corn prices will lead to high feed cost environment into next year.” Simply put – calf prices aren’t keeping pace with production costs. Feed is expensive. Not just corn but hay and grain. And green pastures are hard to come by on account of dry conditions. Let alone drinking water. So between shriveled grass and soaring feed prices, it made more economic sense for ranchers to cull their herds early than to feed them. A Brief Beef Boom According to Anderson: “This is resulting in the biggest slaughter since 2012.” Exactly how many cows were killed early? Wrap your head around this number – 80,000 cows per week at the peak. The U.S. was on pace to produce a record amount of 28 billion pounds of beef by the end of 2022. Declining Cattle Numbers But that means far fewer cows available in 2023. At least 3% less, according to Anderson. Fewer cattle mean less beef available for production and a tight supply in 2023 – so buckle up for higher beef prices. Tight Supply on the Horizon Also according to Anderson, replacement heifers – young female cows that’ll grow into future calf producers – are at their lowest numbers since the USDA began keeping track back in 1973. And this is where we get into a sort of domino effect, because less heifers means less calves. And it’ll take those calves time to mature – usually they hit full maturity around the two-year mark. Which means a looming shortage this year. And next. Many ranchers are saying it’ll take at least through 2025 to rebuild herds. And that’s if nothing else goes wrong. Another Piece of the Price Puzzle Once a cow’s dead, it doesn’t usually remain in the same zip code. That beef still has quite a journey to travel. And that journey’s fraught with our old friend, “supply chain issues.” Thanks to the Coronavirus, some meatpacking plants closed their doors in 2020 never to open again. Plenty of truckers retired too. And truck fuel is expensive. The combination of labor shortages and transportation costs is another piece of the rising price puzzle. All this hits the ranchers really hard. In the words of one rancher: “When my fuel prices go up 40 or 50%, I have no way to pass that on. A cattleman’s dream is to break even.” As we get deeper into 2023, consumers are likely to feel the pinch too. ~ Survival Frog ​Preparing Made Easy® _______________________________________________________________________ Stock up on Canned Meat and Save $50 per Case Real talk – “meatflation” is hurting us all. Stock up on canned meat today and save $50 per case. It’s just real meat and sea salt. Nothing freeze-dried about it. But the way it’s canned keeps it fresh for 25 years. [Hedge against future meatflation and stock up and save today.]( [​]( Need help? Talk with a product expert, place orders, or get customer support, email support@survivalfrog.com Survival Frog, LLC, 621 Kalamath Street, Suite 75, Denver, CO 80204, USA Can't see this email? [Open in your browser](. Want to update your email preferences? [Click here]( [Unsubscribe](