Beef prices going up????

[KDM]

why is pork so cheap? and beef so expensive?

My cynical mind says because the corporations have pork in a choke hold whereas beef still has private producers hanging on giving big corporate the middle finger. My not so cynical mind says because of simple supply and demand. We have the same number of cows today that we had 70 years ago. 2024 saw over 4 billion lbs of beef imported. Lots of people looking for hamburger.

 

[Rowdie]

 

[Rowdie]

 

[lunkerslayer]

One thing about pork is less wast per pound then cattle, more offspring in a typical year, takes less resources to raise pigs because of a controlled environment. A sow can get pregnant 2 or 3 times a year which can be as many as 6 to 8 avg per litter but can have as many as 16. And a feeder pig is only 4 to 6 months till its ready to butcher, compared to 14 to 24 months for cattle

 

[Pheasant 54]

Very true for all the old guys on here like me . remember when you didn't eat beef , they were a cash crop basically . We ate pork and chickens , cant tell you how many times my Grandma had me run down a couple chickens in the early afternoon for supper that night . We started butchering beef in the late 60's

 

[lunkerslayer]

Very true for all the old guys on here like me . remember when you didn't eat beef , they were a cash crop basically . We ate pork and chickens , cant tell you how many times my Grandma had me run down a couple chickens in the early afternoon for supper that night . We started butchering beef in the late 60's

I still perfer pork and chicken over beef because of the overall cost i usually only buy lean 92 percent hamburger from a local farmer thats grass fed cow and even though its older meat its still better hamburger then store bought.

 

[Fester]

Food for thought: with meat prices so flippin' high, why hasn't the bison market taken off again with reasonable prices? There's a fair amount of bison on the landscape, & they are fairly easy to raise/keep, disease resistent, good, lean protein, and then there's the New Rockford NA Bison coop to help get things rolling.....is New Rock. sleeping?

I have looked at Bison and from what I have see its dam near double the cost of beef

 

[Traxion]

Food for thought: with meat prices so flippin' high, why hasn't the bison market taken off again with reasonable prices? There's a fair amount of bison on the landscape, & they are fairly easy to raise/keep, disease resistent, good, lean protein, and then there's the New Rockford NA Bison coop to help get things rolling.....is New Rock. sleeping?

I have friends with bison. While bison are much more independent than cattle, you need a fortified place to keep them. They’re generally unfriendly aholes that make everything you do have to do with them difficult. Average bison behavior equals a sale barn trip for a cow. And frankly, grass fed bison isn’t that great. It’s subpar to grass fed beef let alone finished beef. My friends even say that themselves. Easy in some regards, difficult in others. But they still have high demand.

 

[Traxion]

I’ll also say that I think the direct to consumer producers have a whole different way of looking at their operation than the old time ranchers. The guy I use has his inputs figured down to the penny. He’s got his feed tested for caloric value and knows what his cows and steers need rationed each day. He knows his butcher windows and calves to hit those dates 15 months out, reducing feed costs. It’s a very impressive effort of ranch management. Most old guys calve in the spring sell in the fall. Keep some replacements if needed. And bitch about prices all year long. Every situation is different but the more I’ve seen with ag is those that go intelligently against the grain often far outproduce the status quo.

 

[Fester]

I have friends with bison. While bison are much more independent than cattle, you need a fortified place to keep them. They’re generally unfriendly aholes that make everything you do have to do with them difficult. Average bison behavior equals a sale barn trip for a cow. And frankly, grass fed bison isn’t that great. It’s subpar to grass fed beef let alone finished beef. My friends even say that themselves. Easy in some regards, difficult in others. But they still have high demand.

I think some if the draw to bison is its generally considered healthier then beef.

 

[Obi-Wan]

why is pork so cheap? and beef so expensive?

All the Muslims imported by Biden don’t eat pork so there’s no shortage of pork

 

[Whisky]

Speaking of that, a nice thick cut, bone in pork chop on the smoker has become my new favorite!

Slather in yellow mustard, cover in Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, 225 with apple chips to 145ish.

YUMMY and you can afford it!

PS: I should clarify. I usually take them off the smoker at 140. Let them set 10-15 minutes and they’ll climb 3-5 degrees. DON’T OVERCOOK YOUR PORK PEOPLE!! You ruin it doing that!

THICK cut, quick pan seared, bone in pork chops tossed in a crock pot with a healthy mixture of sauerkraut, diced apple, onions and butter is one of my favorites. I also love a direct grilled chop with a hint of pink still in it. My brother and I bought a hog last year and the in-laws did two this year so the pork has been plentiful.

In-laws also ranch and give me all the beef I want. I mostly take ground as they dont care to or know how to finish them out for good steaks. I usually buy my beef steaks and roasts from the store and I can't remember the last time I did. I had a $35 tri tip in my hand a few weeks ago and put it back. Went home thawed out some elk burger and made elk burger steaks instead. I will say the high beef prices has put a hurting on my wild game stash.