Inflation didn’t eat your steak

[PJay]

Inflation didn’t eat your steak. A cartel did.

America’s slaughterhouses are controlled by a foreign-dominated cartel tied to Brazil. President Donald Trump is taking steps to correct this.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

 

[vraiblonde]

You learn something new every day. I'm a simple straightforward person and it always blows my mind the schemes that go on behind the scenes and how foreign freaking countries can own so much of the US.

 

[herb749]

I thought it was over drought conditions and cattle being fed more grains instead of grazing.

 

[Hijinx]

If this is true then it's time something was done about it, but how did it become true?

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...



What the article didn't say, is that all four beef processing facilities in the US are in cahoots with each other price fixing. This is nothing new to the cattle farmer. These plants pay the minimum, or as little as they can get away with, to the farmer, then jack up the prices. All four are operated as a cartel racket. Which they are.

 

[black dog]

Don't like that, look at the government being involved in how much one grows and the pricing of peanuts. Thats been going on since the 1930's

 

[Clem72]

You learn something new every day. I'm a simple straightforward person and it always blows my mind the schemes that go on behind the scenes and how foreign freaking countries can own so much of the US.

About 85% of beef is processed by a "major" processor, two of which are foreign. The other two (Tyson and Cargill) are US owned. The foreign ones are actually US companies, just owned by foreign companies (still need to follow all US laws, etc.) So this cartel is half US owned (the larger half) which makes it hard to blame it completely on the foreign companies.

Also, small scale butchers account for about 15%, and the bar for entry isn't exactly high here. There are butchers that do it in a trailer and will come to your farm to process your meat. They used to be USDA inspected, before all the inspectors got DOGE'd.

But here's the kicker. Meat processing is not rocket science, it's not a monopoly because pretty much anyone can do it. If these companies jack the prices up for no other reason than profit then others can easily enter the market and undercut them. Presumably prices will come down as contract renewal time comes around.

 

[Hijinx]

I know a couple of farms that process their own meat, but it doesn't cut the cost.
That's for sure.

 

[Merlin99]

I know a couple of farms that process their own meat, but it doesn't cut the cost.
That's for sure.

It doesn’t raise it any significant amount either. Plus it’s keeping some money local and not going to some corporate coffers. And on top of the list it just tastes better.

 

[DPAT]

Local and not from a store is ideal. No colorings or preservatives, fresher, and likely grass fed. Anyone have a favorite cut of cow they always go to, besides steak and ribeyes?
For me it's always heart. They rarely charge more than $6 a pound or per heart. I'm always surprised they don't go for more, considering you only get one per cow. It's crazy tender as long as you don't overcook it.

 

[Merlin99]

Local and not from a store is ideal. No colorings or preservatives, fresher, and likely grass fed. Anyone have a favorite cut of cow they always go to, besides steak and ribeyes?
For me it's always heart. They rarely charge more than $6 a pound or per heart. I'm always surprised they don't go for more, considering you only get one per cow. It's crazy tender as long as you don't overcook it.

I like the chuck the best. I’d rather have a pot roast than a steak any day