Consumer demand way down at these prices.
I got 4 lbs on sale last week at Safeway for 80/20 ground beef at $3.99/lb. Week before, Fred Meyer sent me a coupon for a free 1 lb package priced at $7.99, no purchase required. Absent that, I was going vegan.
intercst
Where’s the beef?
5 4 3 2 1
$8/lb beef has many of us switching to pork or poultry.
Pity the fast food industry. Consumers are resisting price increases while costs continue to rise. McDonald’s finds its value menu is not driving sales like it used to. Hamburger chains offering more chicken. Hamburgers must be break even at best.
Meanwhile chains like Wendy’s is struggling. Ditto Paneras. Even pizza chains are struggling. And not much beef on pizzas. Nowadays you can get a pizza for what you pay for a hamburger combo.
Yeah, because that tariff thing has worked so well…
President Trump announced a plan to temporarily allow more foreign beef imports into the U.S. without paying higher [tariffs], his latest move aimed at easing a [run-up in beef prices] for American shoppers.Trump, [in a social-media post] on Friday, said the Trump administration, for the next 90 days, will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariff rates. “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices,” Trump said.
The White House and the Agriculture Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The administration hasn’t yet publicly released documents implementing Trump’s directive.
I wonder if that “commitment” is on the same page as the commitment from Iran to open the Strait, or the one to end the Ukraine War within 24 hours, or to eliminate the national debt, or to release his tax returns, or …
One wonders if we can finally get some members of our community at large to acknowledge the fact that tariffs lead to higher prices.
how tariff are the reason for higher beef price? I thought it is because US cattle stocks have been steadily going down
It is both. When you make imports more expensive while at the same time having less domestic stock, you create perfect storm of rising prices.
There is currently a 26% tariff on beef imports (now waived for the next 300,000 tons). If not for the tariffs, prices would be lower - as will likely be clearly evidenced to you during this period of it being waived.
If prices are cheaper next month, you will have your answer as to the reason why.
All expenses come out of the pockets of tax payers and buyers.
The Captain
Don’t forget the New World screwworm coming our way. 46 cases detected already.
DB2
I’m tired of winning, boss.
I always understood that tariffs are a tax.
Not hard to understand, unless it’s your guy doing it, and it’s sold as a punishment on someone else.
Then, people will endure it as long as they think someone else is punished worse.
Weird.
Meanwhile, the whole world is moving their chairs away from us, like we stink.
But deflation is worse…
Think of 5 cent apples in NYC
Yes, food prices in China are experiencing notable deflation. As of mid-2026, official data shows that food prices dropped for four straight months, falling 1.5% year-on-year in July 2026. While some specific items like vegetables or fruits fluctuate, categories such as pork and eggs have seen persistent downward pressure amid broader weak domestic demand. [1, 2, 3]
Transportation, fertilizer for feed, labor costs, we have a bit of a drought out west, etc.
And let’s not forget the new botfly epidemic in TX.
The “screwworm” has been working on us since Reagan was elected in 1980.
intercst
Nope. The worms are endemic to Latin America and have been in the southern US for a long time. They were eradicated but are now working their way north again.
DB2
This is opposite of what US farmers want.
No one knows what any of us want. Try asking TPTB for an honest answer. Good luck.
The tariffs are between us and deflation. Imagine just how bad things would be with deflation. Investments caput. Family members’ jobs and savings caput.
The Canadian TPTB won’t have deflation rapidly decend upon them because of this trade war. Lucky, but that is not realized by the public.
The tariffs and stopping an oil glut by getting the Strait closed won’t stop the problem for long. China has had 10 quarters of deflation; we are going to follow suit.
When it all caves in I know who I want looking in the mirror and holding the bag in DC.