10/24/2025
The 4 big processors in this country, one owned by Brazil, the other China, are who set the prices on beef. Add more middlemen before and after before it gets to the store. Please stop villifying the producer. Yes, beef prices for them are at historic highs. GOOD! They'll have a tiny cushion if Argentina imports 2% of the beef needs.
I do believe that this is the first time in MY life, where I have seen consumers decide that ranchers are “villains.”
That’s a fascinating evolution in thought. I guess I have never met a rancher at 2am in the calving pasture, who is thinking that their life’s pursuit is to “bring harm” to consumers. I have not noticed any of them in the sick pen, walking in a coughing calf who needs medicine. They don’t appear to be out on the range, when making sure the windmills are pumping water. Have not caught sight of them at the banker’s office when paying down the operating note and wondering if there will be enough left to maybe take the family out for a nice supper, or put some nicer gifts under the Christmas tree.
The numbers I have seen thrown around in recent days say ranchers are showing profit, “real” profit, the kind that allows them to fortify themselves against the inevitable….about two years out of the last twenty.
And now, they are the villains.
Mostly it comes from the assumption that WE are who set your prices at the grocery store. I have tried to answer this hundreds of times in just the last few days, people who think that WE have made their beef expensive. The rest have come from those who believe “ill will” is suited for anyone who supposedly votes one way or another. I am truly astonished at this behavior.
3 generations from now, it will make for an interesting case study, what consumers will say as they watch video and read words about these mysterious 1.2% of Americans who seemingly are some of today’s least favorite people.
Thank goodness the cows don’t care. 😉
