Takeaways

• Beef demand hit a 40-year high according to CattleFax even as retail prices climbed to historic levels, which means higher prices reflect strong demand and improved quality, not runaway profiteering by ranchers.
• The US cattle herd sits at its smallest size in a generation (approximately 28.5 million beef cows as of July 1, 2026), the result of years of herd liquidation driven by drought, an aging rancher population, and high input costs. It takes roughly two years to bring a new animal from breeding to market.
• Packer concentration (four companies controlling 85% of the beef supply, two of them foreign-owned) and the 14-month closure of the southern border to Mexican cattle imports over New World screw worm have both tightened supply further. Buying beef directly from a rancher through platforms like Bid On Beef keeps more of every dollar in rural America.

In this episode of Sizzle, Amanda Radke reports from a customer appreciation event at Reverse Rocking R Ranch in New Mexico, hosted with CK6 Consulting, Bid On Beef, and All American Angus Beef, to tackle the headlines claiming beef is too expensive. Rather than accepting that framing, Amanda reframes the conversation around what the price tag actually reflects, walking through the economics, the agriculture, and the policy behind the cost of beef.

Amanda leans on data from CattleFax and CEO Randy Blach, including the finding that beef demand is at a 40-year high even as prices climb, and that it takes the average American consumer about 13 minutes of work to earn a pound of ground beef, a figure that has held steady for the past decade. She connects rising prices to a historically tight cattle supply: the US beef cow herd is the smallest it has been in a generation, driven by drought, an aging rancher population (the average age is pushing 60), and a multi-year decline in the number of young producers entering the industry.

The episode also covers the policy side of the story, from the Green New Deal and school lunch meatless days to packer concentration and the DOJ's ongoing investigation into the four companies that control 85% of the beef supply. Amanda addresses the recent New World screw worm outbreak, the resulting 14-month closure of the southern border to cattle imports from Mexico, and the phased reopening that began in August 2026.

Presented by Redmond Real Salt and Bid on Beef

• Use code RADKE for $10 off your next All American Angus Beef order at www.BidOnBeef.com
• Save on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/
• Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-books
• Learn more about Bulletproofing Your Direct-To-Consumer Beef Enterprise: https://amandaradke.com/products/bulletproof-your-beef-business