Interesting Conversation With a Friend

 I have a friend who raises cattle. He's well aware of the market, how they're processed, and what most affects the price of beef. He told me the current high beef prices are due to a lack of cattle. Between the droughts, and wildfires, the number of cattle to be sold is substantially less, therefore the demand guarantees what is available will cost more. It's that simple, and to increase the supply is a long term event, since calves don't just pop out ready to butcher on demand. Of course, there is imported beef, but that beef requires assurance it meets USDA guidelines, and passes quarantine...if tariffs don't prevent there being any cost savings at the consumer level. 

Will beef supplies increase? Who knows. Range land has been decimated, many ranchers just don't have the money to keep trying, and their efforts will require years to build large herds for sale. We'll see, but the only thing I can do is to only buy what I can afford, and that is much less than in the past. I like beef, but not so much to spend too much of my income to have some.