LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD-TV) — U.S. beef price inflation since 2023 has been driven far more by tightening cattle supplies than by margin expansion downstream — and new USDA data confirm that producers are capturing a larger share of each retail dollar than at any point in recent years.
USDA’s all-fresh beef retail value climbed steadily from late 2023 through November 2025, rising from roughly $7.85 per pound to nearly $9.40 per pound. At the same time, the farmers’ share of the Choice beef retail dollar increased sharply. Annual averages show producers’ share rising from just 36.8 percent in 2021 to 47.8 percent in 2023 and over 50 percent in 2024 — a structural shift rather than a short-term anomaly.
Monthly data reinforce that trend. In 2025, producers frequently captured more than 52 percent — and at times more than 55 percent — of the retail beef dollar, even as consumer prices rose. That combination indicates that rising retail prices are primarily driven by biological supply constraints tied to herd contraction, not by expanding packer or retailer margins.
The beef cow herd remains near multi-decade lows, limiting fed cattle availability and forcing stronger competition for inventory. While margins fluctuate month to month, the broader balance of leverage has shifted back toward the farm gate.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Higher retail beef prices increasingly reflect tight cattle supplies — and producers are capturing a historically larger share of the value.
Shaun Haney, Host of RealAg Radio on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147, joined us on Monday’s Market Day Report with his 2026 cattle market outlook and insights on beef prices.
In his interview with RFD-TV News, Haney explained why volatility matters when cattle prices are so high, the impact of import restrictions on Mexican feeder cattle, and the biggest factors that will shape herd expansion and beef prices going into the New Year.
It is in there, the mold — those rich blue veins in creamy blue cheese that make you either love it or loathe it — but how does it get there? This bonus scene from “Clemson Dairy,” Season 4, Episode 4 of
Where the Food Comes From, explains how and why that happens.
October 25, 2023 09:00 AM
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No, it is not some new college course — Clemson has been making blue cheese since 1941, and the product has developed a worldwide following and won some pretty big awards. With good reason — it is fantastic stuff. It is also fascinating to see how it is made. Check out this sneak peek look at the latest episode of Where the Food Comes From, “Clemson Blue.”
October 24, 2023 11:32 AM
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The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, and the pampered cows get on-demand service. The team at Where the Food Comes From shares a special, behind-the-scenes account filming the show’s newest episode, Robot Dairy, premiering this Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at 9:30 p.m. ET on RFD-TV!
October 19, 2023 09:00 AM
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How does a robot milk a cow?
October 18, 2023 09:00 AM
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The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, where the pampered cows get on-demand service. They make a premium cream line of milk you still have to shake. It is so good it is used to make the world-famous Clemson blue cheese.
October 17, 2023 01:55 PM
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Today’s blog post by RFD-TV Agri-Legal Expert Roger McEowen takes a look at the “preferential payment rule,” a unique bankruptcy provision that can come as a suprise to farmers in financial distress.
October 13, 2023 10:54 AM
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Researchers out of the United Kingdom are using gene editing technology to help make High-Path Avian Flu less of a threat to poultry.
October 12, 2023 12:38 PM
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Now that Washington lawmakers have passed a 45-day stopgap, they have some breathing room to work through some hot-button topics like the high cost of the upcoming Farm Bill, which is due in large part to the funding necessary to support the Nutrition Title.
October 03, 2023 11:08 AM
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Egg prices have been on a roller coaster this year, soaring sky-high and falling back down to Earth in just a few months.
September 19, 2023 12:41 PM
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