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Here’s what keeping beef prices so high ahead of summer BBQ season — and why it could take years to see relief

Nypost · · 467 words · By Fox News
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What to know about Here’s what keeping beef prices so high ahead of summer BBQ season — and why it could take years to see relief

Here’s what keeping beef prices so high ahead of summer BBQ season — and why it could take years to see relief Beef prices aren’t easing anytime soon and economists warn the pressure could last for years.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Here’s what keeping beef prices so high ahead of summer BBQ season — and why it could take years to see relief Beef prices aren’t easing anytime soon and economists warn the pressure could last for years.

Why it matters

That’s because the US cattle herd has fallen to its smallest size in 75 years, after years of drought, rising feed costs and an aging ranching workforce forced producers to scale back.

Common ground

“The biggest thing has been drought,” Eric Belasco, head of the agricultural economics department at Montana State University, told Fox News Digital.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/business/heres-what-keeping-beef-prices-so-high-ah…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3
check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 2
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Claim 1: “it takes roughly two years to bring cattle to market”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result explicitly states that 'it takes approximately two years to bring cattle to market,' but no other independent source in the provided evidence corroborates this specific timeframe.
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web search NEUTRAL — Currently, in America, there are more than 700,000 cattle ranches. In particular, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma are the states with the largest numbe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyj6rM00qY
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web search NEUTRAL — Scottish immigrants brought small numbers of cattle to Australia from the mid-nineteenth century, but by the late 1800s, none remained. Re-establishment of the breed began with an import of two cows a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_cattle
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web search NEUTRAL — He emphasized that it takes approximately two years to bring cattle to market and several years to rebuild herds, leaving little room for short-term solutions.
https://theunn.com/americans-may-face-high-beef-prices-for-y…
verified
Claim 2: “the US cattle herd has fallen to its smallest size in 75 years”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the US and US Route 75, which contain no information regarding cattle herd sizes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Highway 75 (US 75) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from I-345 in Dallas, Texas northward to the Canadian border in Noyes, Minnesota. In the state of Texas it runs from I-345 in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_75_in_Texas
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs 1,239 miles (1,994 km) in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_75
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Route 75 (US 75) is a major north–south highway that enters the U.S. state of Oklahoma from Texas concurrent with US 69 crossing the Red River. US 75 serves the city of Tulsa, the 2nd largest cit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_75_in_Oklahoma
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “hay production falls, feed gets more expensive and herd sizes shrink, according to data from the Kansas City Federal Reserve”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the evidence confirms the existence and role of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and mentions general drought conditions affecting livestock, it does not specifically confirm the causal link between hay production falling, feed costs rising, and herd sizes shrinking as a specific data finding.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve District…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Bank
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and covers the 10th District of the Federal Reserve, which includes Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and port…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Bank_of_Kansas…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kansas City, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by both population and area. It is located on the Missouri River at its confluence with the Kansas River, within …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City,_Missouri
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “a Department of Justice investigation into potential antitrust issues and pricing practices in the meatpacking industry”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results confirm that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the meatpacking industry for antitrust issues and pricing practices.
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web search NEUTRAL — Justice Department investigating meat packers amid record-high beef prices.DOJ confirms meatpacking antitrust investigation amid rising prices. 8 hours ago.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Justice Department investigates potential antitrust violations in the U.S. meatpacking industry amid rising prices and producer complaints.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/feds-are-investigating-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Agriculture are intensifying scrutiny of concentration and pricing practices across the meat industry, announcing this week that federal investigators …
https://www.drovers.com/news/ag-policy/doj-usda-ramp-antitru…
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Claim 5: “Spending jumped about 12% from a year earlier, while the amount of beef sold rose more than 4%”
CORROBORATED
The 'PDF Beef Industry Review and Consumer Insights: February 2026 Edition' explicitly states a 12.4% increase in value and 4.3% growth in volume year-over-year, which aligns with the claim's 'about 12%' and 'more than 4%'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Beef and coffee have experienced the most significant price increases in recent years. Source: Trace One analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. While grocery inflation has been widespread, …
https://www.traceone.com/resources/plm-compliance-blog/groce…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ground beef prices have historically increased at a faster rate than the consumer price index for overall food and beverage, largely due to drought and increased demand for beef.
https://www.eater.com/2016/5/23/11745870/beef-cost-meat-shak…
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web search NEUTRAL — In Argentina, beef and buffalo meat dominate, accounting for more than half of consumption. New Zealanders have a much stronger preference for mutton & goat meat relative to the global average.
https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production
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Claim 6: “In 2025, shoppers spent more than $45 billion on beef, buying more than 6.2 billion pounds, according to data from Beef Research”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (a PDF Beef Industry Review and a news article) confirm that in 2025, shoppers spent more than $45 billion on beef and bought more than 6.2 billion pounds, citing Beef Research.
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web search NEUTRAL — The industry achieved another record-setting year, with retail beef sales surpassing $45 billion and volume exceeding 6.2 billion pounds, marking a 12.4% increase in value and 4.3% growth in volume ye…
https://www.beefresearch.org/Media/BeefResearch/Docs/16-page…
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web search NEUTRAL — In 2025, shoppers spent more than $45 billion on beef, buying more than 6.2 billion pounds, according to data from Beef Research, a contractor for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/unexpected-force-keeping-be…
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web search NEUTRAL — Americans spent $40 billion on fresh beef in 2024 despite record prices. Economists explain why strong demand keeps pushing grocery store costs higher.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/beef-prices-close-recor…
verified
Claim 7: “four major companies—Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef—processing about 85% of the nation’s grain-fed cattle”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence confirms that Tyson, JBS, and Cargill are major meat processors, but none of the provided sources mention the specific statistic that these four companies process 85% of grain-fed cattle.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation that produces grain and other agricultural commodities such as palm oil, energy, steel, transport, livestock, feed, as well as food …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargill
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — JBS USA Holdings, Inc. is a meat processing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian multinational JBS S.A. The subsidiary was created when JBS entered the U.S. market in 2007 with its p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JBS_USA
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyson_Foods
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 8: “According to US Department of Agriculture data, the average price of beef climbed from about $8.70 per pound in March 2025 to $10.08 a year later”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim only contains general information about the USDA and does not mention specific beef price data for March 2025 or 2026.
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web search NEUTRAL — USDA offers a variety of grants, loans and other financial help, including pandemic relief to farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, researchers, and citizens.
https://www.usda.gov/
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web search NEUTRAL — The Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues.
https://www.usa.gov/agencies/u-s-department-of-agriculture
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web search NEUTRAL — USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and …
https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locat…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.