Beef prices

[Ringer]

Made my weekly run to Gordons food service . Beef knuckles dropped to $3.99 a lb. Last week they were $4.49 , and brisket dropped about the same $.50 . Were $4.49 down from $4.99 . Normal price for the knuckle is $3.39 , brisket is always around $3.59 .
Pack and sell by dates tell me these were recent . Sell by isn't until Dec. 15th .
Meat case was pretty well stocked . Most of the beef was still at a premium , but the sell buy dates were this week , so that tells me the pricing is from the last price point .
I'll go again next week and see what's going on . Doing it this way tells me what the pricing is real time . What's actually available to me , when I'm standing there , and where it looks like it's going .

We just got one of these near me. I really like the place so far.

 

[MJB05615]

Similar here in Ga. I check weekly in Kroger and Sam's. The last 2 weeks there's been a slight decrease in beef and Chicken, and I go to 3 Krogers. The one nearest to me has a lot of empty shelves, I think they changed Managers. The other 2 are usually fully stocked shelves.

 

[chopsaw]

We just got one of these near me. I really like the place so far.

All subject to taste , but the Angus all beef franks are good . I buy the 5's .
I like the bacon too , but it's getting up in price . I buy all my meat at GFS .

he last 2 weeks there's been a slight decrease in beef and Chicken,

Yup . They had whole Tyson chickens for 99 cents a pound . Bought 2 of those .

 

[chopsaw]

The one nearest to me has a lot of empty shelves, I think they changed Managers. The other 2 are usually fully stocked shelves.

I know my Son says it's a guess if the loads are going to show up or not . He goes in early to do his orders , then the slacker from another store robs from him , because he didn't get his in on time .

 

[MJB05615]

I know my Son says it's a guess if the loads are going to show up or not . He goes in early to do his orders , then the slacker from another store robs from him , because he didn't get his in on time .

We've been going to the Kroger near home for 22 years, and the last 6 months it has steadily gone downhill. Especially the Produce. Just to get a good head of Lettuce I have to go through 10 + to find 1 good one. They had the same manager for about 5-6 years and it was always good. He either left or transferred 6 months ago, and that's when it started. On a whim I went to 2 different Kroger's a few weeks ago on the same day I went to mine, and they both had fuller shelves and much better produce. But since we know where everything in at ours we still go there first, lol.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Meanwhile, US beef exports are forecasted to reach a record 1.5 million metric tons.
A 16% increase over last year.

 

[forktender]

They are not paying someone that much... that was how much some packers were making per head during the pandemic. The farmers were not making that and thus one of the reasons why beef prices are so high!

Ryan

I completely misread your post, and took it out of context, my apologies.

Dan

 

[Brokenhandle]

I completely misread your post, and took it out of context, my apologies.

Dan

Not a problem! I do the same thing myself at times! Maybe more often than I care to admit lol.

Ryan

 

[xbubblehead]

Butterball turkeys for $0.98/lb, Tyson whole chickens for $0.99/lb at WallyWorld this morning isn't bad. Beef and Pork prices are still up there beyond what I'm willing to pay in general but I watch for deals and buy I can divide up, butts are the best.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Let’s put this in context. $1000.00 per head in profit to the Packer.

Most animals, generally, flesh out to 60/40 of hoof weight. So a 1500# steer on the hoof will yield about 800- 900# on the rail. My local processor charges .90 cents a pound for processing and packaging plus a kill fee. So they are all over $1.00 a pound to process a steer that I own. There profit to provide this service would be $8-900.00 with no shipping involved. How is a Packer any different? $1000.00 a head is cheap to convert a live on hoof animal into individual cuts wrapped and frozen. I don’t see the problem in that profit per head.

Here is how this works. I have a calf born on my land. I raise that calf for about 2 years to get it close to that 12-1500# range. I sell that steer to you on the farm alive. We ship it to the processor. He slaughters it and hangs it for a 850# “rail weight “ I then collect $3.00 a pound rail weight for the animal from you. Then you pay the processor an additional $1.00 a pound to cut and wrap the meat. All in you are $4.00 per pound for that #850 carcass. So your prime rib roast was included in the $4.00 lb deal just as the hamburger was. That’s from me to your freezer.

Now we have a level playing field to discuss why, exactly, rib steak is $16.00 lb and burger is $5-6.00 lbs.

That is not possible unless they are getting free cattle.

 

[forktender]

Let’s put this in context. $1000.00 per head in profit to the Packer.

Most animals, generally, flesh out to 60/40 of hoof weight. So a 1500# steer on the hoof will yield about 800- 900# on the rail. My local processor charges .90 cents a pound for processing and packaging plus a kill fee. So they are all over $1.00 a pound to process a steer that I own. There profit to provide this service would be $8-900.00 with no shipping involved. How is a Packer any different? $1000.00 a head is cheap to convert a live on hoof animal into individual cuts wrapped and frozen. I don’t see the problem in that profit per head.

Here is how this works. I have a calf born on my land. I raise that calf for about 2 years to get it close to that 12-1500# range. I sell that steer to you on the farm alive. We ship it to the processor. He slaughters it and hangs it for a 850# “rail weight “ I then collect $3.00 a pound rail weight for the animal from you. Then you pay the processor an additional $1.00 a pound to cut and wrap the meat. All in you are $4.00 per pound for that #850 carcass. So your prime rib roast was included in the $4.00 lb deal just as the hamburger was. That’s from me to your freezer.

Now we have a level playing field to discuss why, exactly, rib steak is $16.00 lb and burger is $5-6.00 lbs.

What you are posting is for single or a small number of beefs. Like I said above, there is no way a commercial processor is paying breakers a grand a head for breaking beefs. If they are, they won't be in business long.

 

[DougE]

Let’s put this in context. $1000.00 per head in profit to the Packer.

Most animals, generally, flesh out to 60/40 of hoof weight. So a 1500# steer on the hoof will yield about 800- 900# on the rail. My local processor charges .90 cents a pound for processing and packaging plus a kill fee. So they are all over $1.00 a pound to process a steer that I own. There profit to provide this service would be $8-900.00 with no shipping involved. How is a Packer any different? $1000.00 a head is cheap to convert a live on hoof animal into individual cuts wrapped and frozen. I don’t see the problem in that profit per head.

Here is how this works. I have a calf born on my land. I raise that calf for about 2 years to get it close to that 12-1500# range. I sell that steer to you on the farm alive. We ship it to the processor. He slaughters it and hangs it for a 850# “rail weight “ I then collect $3.00 a pound rail weight for the animal from you. Then you pay the processor an additional $1.00 a pound to cut and wrap the meat. All in you are $4.00 per pound for that #850 carcass. So your prime rib roast was included in the $4.00 lb deal just as the hamburger was. That’s from me to your freezer.

Now we have a level playing field to discuss why, exactly, rib steak is $16.00 lb and burger is $5-6.00 lbs.

I'd be interested to know what the major retailers (Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, etc.) pay wholesale for their meat, and what their markup is. Between them and the packers, someone is making bank.

I do a cow/calf operation and generally sell off calves at around 6 months , give or take. I figure if I can pay my property tax on the farm and my farm insurance policy with the proceeds, I'm doing good.

 

[SmokinEdge]

What you are posting is for single or a small number of beefs. Like I said above, there is no way a commercial processor is paying breakers a grand a head for breaking beefs. If they are, they won't be in business long.

So you are saying that small processors are making more per head than large processors? Maybe so, but let’s talk about the 15-16 dollar a pound steak.

 

[Ringer]

Checked plate rib price today at my local small processor.

8.99 per lb
Vs
12.99 lb at publix

 

[SmokinEdge]

What you are posting is for single or a small number of beefs. Like I said above, there is no way a commercial processor is paying breakers a grand a head for breaking beefs. If they are, they won't be in business long.

In actuality, your talking about large commercial processors paying the “breakers” $20.00 an hour to break down a $1000.00 dollar beef. Maybe 6 hours total from slaughter to small white packages. There is math involved here.

 

[forktender]

I'd be interested to know what the major retailers (Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, etc.) pay wholesale for their meat, and what their markup is. Between them and the packers, someone is making bank.

I do a cow/calf operation and generally sell off calves at around 6 months , give or take. I figure if I can pay my property tax on the farm and my farm insurance policy with the proceeds, I'm doing good.

$200 too $350 per beef.

So you are saying that small processors are making more per head than large processors? Maybe so, but let’s talk about the 15-16 dollar a pound steak.

The price of consumer beef has little to nothing to do with commercial beef processing prices.

 

[SmokinEdge]

$200 too $350 per beef.

The price of consumer beef has little to nothing to do with commercial beef processing prices.

This is exactly what I was trying to promote for discussion.
With volume comes cheaper prices, not higher prices. Wal-mart vs. the local retailer. But with meat it’s totally different, you are saying????

 

[DougE]

The price of consumer beef has little to nothing to do with commercial beef processing prices.

Ok, you're saying that the processors aren't making much, we already know the farmers aren't making anything, so who is making all the money ?

 

[Ringer]

Ok, you're saying that the processors aren't making much, we already know the farmers aren't making anything, so who is making all the money ?

The Government

 

[DougE]

The only ones in control of the beef pricing is the packers. They buy at live animals at auction, so they control that end of it, and they also set the wholesale prices.