PENSACOLA, Fla. — If you’ve noticed beef prices are higher than they used to be, you’re not alone. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the country’s cattle inventory has hit its lowest point since 1951.
In fact, since COVID, you’ve watched as beef and meat prices have climbed. Butchers say there’s no quick fix. Kevin Green is the owner of the Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola.
“Once COVID hit, all of the sides of the production, protein production, started playing games and they were cutting production,” Green said. “They were cutting the hours that they were producing and then the farmers started holding the cattle back. And as a result, there’s droughts and there’s all these factors. End of the day, we just don’t have enough cattle for the demand that we have.”…