What the Federal Reserve Said About Beef Prices (And Why It Matters)

If you've been wondering why are beef prices going up at the grocery store every single time you check, you're not imagining it. The Federal Reserve just put numbers on it. They are not encouraging numbers.

The Fed Just Said Beef Prices Are at an All-Time High

A longtime customer sent me an article earlier this week.

Apparently the new Federal Reserve data just dropped, and Beef Prices are at an ALL TIME, SEARING HIGH (that pun is courtesy of Yahoo News, not the Fed, the Fed does not make puns) and set to climb higher.

Now, I know what you're thinking. The government doesn't always play it straight with the data.

But when it comes to commodity stuff like beef prices, they generally do. The numbers come from packers and retailers, the methodology is public, and the Fed has no particular incentive to lie about steak.

So I'm taking their beef price data at face value.

Why Are Beef Prices Going Up? Five Real Reasons

And the take home message is clear: prices are high and getting higher. For a bunch of reasons:

• Slow recovery after years of drought in the west (btw, another reason the Northeast is THE place to raise delicious, 100% Grass Fed Beef)
• Lasting impact of management decisions made during COVID disruptions
• Screw worm outbreaks in Mexican "narco" ranches run by cocaine cartels
• The impact of tariffs and uncertainty about new ones
• Skyrocketing land prices and a dwindling number of small farmers

Sorry to say, but the beef at the store ain't gettin' any cheaper.

The Real Bummer: Higher Prices, Worse Beef

But the real bummer?

Because the big 4 meatpackers (who process and sell 85% of beef in America) are allowed to flagrantly collude as an effective monopoly, the higher prices are almost certainly going to buy you a lower quality product.

They never settle for just jacking up prices. It's always paired with cost-saving, "efficiencies" and cutting every corner to speed production up.

It's a safe bet that the pattern of the last 5 years (paying more for grocery store beef and then thinking "is it just me or does this beef taste worse than it used to?") is set to continue. Probably for a few more years.

If you want the long version of why grocery beef tastes the way it does, here's why it's watery and who's profiting from it, and what real beef actually tastes like by comparison.

How Locking In Beef Prices Actually Works

If you'd like to skip that endless cycle of meat frustration, and stock up on beef that is ALWAYS:

• 100% Grass Fed AND Finished
• No hormones, antibiotics, sprays, growth promotants, etc.
• Properly Dry-Aged for flavor, tenderness and cookability
• Regeneratively grazed for land and animal health
• Actually tastes like beef

Here's how the bulk economics shake out: when you reserve a beef share, you lock in a flat price for the year's worth of beef. While grocery beef prices keep climbing on the same trajectory the Fed just flagged, your per-pound cost is already set. That's why beef prices going up is genuinely good news for share customers and bad news for grocery shoppers.

Want the full math:

• How much does a half cow cost? (all-in price breakdown)
• What cuts do you actually get in a half cow

Reserve a Beef Share

Here's how we can be your farmers:

• Reserve a Half Share (free chest freezer included)

Your Farmer,
Josh

P.S. First time? We are always glad to help you choose the right share size, just let me know if you have any questions.