Meat Prices Rise as Grilling Season Approaches

If you’re planning a cookout for Memorial Day weekend, be ready to pay more for burgers, steaks, and chicken. As grilling season kicks off, prices for beef and chicken are rising, and it’s not just a small bump.

Experts say the cost of popular meats like ribeye steaks and ground beef has gone up compared to last year. For example, a pound of ribeye was about $9.75 last April, but now it’s more than $14. Even ground beef, which is usually cheaper, jumped from $6.73 to $7.48 in the last year.

Most Meats Cost More Ahead of Grilling Season

Why is this happening? A big reason is supply and demand. When the weather gets warmer, more people start grilling, so the demand for meat goes up, and that pushes prices higher.

But there’s more to it. The U.S. has fewer cattle than it has in over 60 years. Droughts in places like Texas, which produces a lot of the country’s beef, have made it harder to raise cattle. With fewer cows, there’s less beef to go around, which makes it more expensive.

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Cattle are heavier than they used to be, which helps a little. But you can still only get so many steaks and briskets from one cow. On top of that, higher costs for feeding and raising cattle have made things tougher for ranchers.

Rising Meat Prices Signal Grilling Season

While beef and chicken prices are rising, pork has actually gotten a little cheaper. So if you’re shopping for your barbecue, pork might be the better deal this summer.

The bottom line is that grilling season is here, but so are higher prices, so plan your cookout and your budget carefully.