The Truth about Beef Prices and Buying Local

Lately, there’s been a lot of attention on the cost of beef. News headlines, social media posts, even soundbites from politicians. It’s a topic that has everyone talking. One recent comment that’s made the rounds online mentioned importing beef from Argentina, and it struck a nerve with me. Not because it’s new news, but because it’s being shared as if America doesn’t already import beef. We do.

As a rancher, I’m close to the subject. Beef prices are complicated, and they change every single day; much like gas prices. The things that influence them are nearly impossible to count: weather, drought, feed costs, fuel prices, international trade, processing plant capacity, and even consumer demand for certain cuts.

What I can confirm is that right now, cows are worth more than they’ve ever been. Ranchers are getting paid record prices for live cattle. That may sound like good news, and in some ways it is, but it also creates challenges. When prices climb this high, many ranchers choose to sell more cows than usual, sometimes even their whole herd, because it feels like a chance to get ahead.

But because cattle prices have stayed high for so long, those same ranchers can’t afford to buy back in. The prices never dropped the way that many expected, so now the supply of cattle has thinned out. It’s a cycle that sounds simple but creates big ripple effects.

Then there’s the elephant in the room: imported beef.

The United States has imported beef for decades. In fact, we’re the second largest importer of beef in the world, right behind China. Some of that beef arrives in boxes, ready to process, but a surprising amount comes in on the hoof, live cattle shipped here to be processed by American packing plants. That makes the true volume of imported beef hard to measure. It’s not all labeled as “imported beef,” because technically, it becomes “U.S. beef” once it’s processed here.

For a while, country-of-origin labels helped consumers see where their food came from. But those laws have changed over the years, and not in ways that favor the consumer. Today, beef can be sold in U.S. stores without having to clearly say where it originated. That’s part of what makes this conversation so confusing.

I think it’s important to be honest about that. You’ve probably already eaten imported beef. That isn’t meant to scare anyone. It’s just the reality of our current food system. The major meat packers, the companies that control most of the processing and distribution in the U.S., are large corporations with enormous influence over pricing, imports, availability, and national policy. They have more sway than any rancher operation ever could.

That’s why the idea that beef prices are high because ranchers are being greedy misses the mark completely. I’ve seen a meme floating around that tries to pit consumers against farmers and ranchers, and it’s frustrating because it oversimplifies a system that’s anything but simple. Ranchers don’t set grocery store prices. The “games” that get played at that level: marketing, packaging, imports, and corporate pricing… are far removed from the people actually raising the cattle.

At Silo Springs Ranch, we haven’t changed our beef prices in over a year. We’re not playing those games. Our cows are raised here, processed nearby, and sold directly to our customers. That’s it. We can’t control global markets or fuel prices, but we can promise that what you buy from us is local and raised with care.

I know times are hard. I live in America too, and I know it’s expensive to survive right now. But even when dollars are tight, it matters where you spend them. Every time you buy something local, whether it’s beef, eggs, honey, or bread, you’re voting with your wallet for the kind of food system you want to exist.

If you can’t find a rancher near you, find a local food source for something. Keep what’s left of our local food chain strong. These systems matter. They keep food close to home, they keep families working, and they keep communities connected.

Your grocery store isn’t your only option, and the truth is, it never was.