Retail Beef Prices Hit Near Record Highs

[farmers_son]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/01/AR2005060102158.html

By SANDY SHORE
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 2, 2005; 1:33 AM

DENVER -- With grilling season in full swing, retail beef prices are near record highs, thanks to tight supplies, more demand and rising fuel costs. Retail prices for choice beef averaged $4.25 a pound in April, the latest period available from the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service.

April's price was second only to November 2003, when beef prices rose to $4.32 a pound after Canadian imports were cut off due to a case of mad cow disease.

And according to the CCA Canadian Boxed Beef Report:

[Canadian] packer gross margins were relatively steady this week.
Cattle costs were down two weeks ago but the cutout also
dropped by a little last week. Gross margins were around
$450/head last week which was steady with the previous
week and roughly steady with last year at the same time.

US packers enjoyed solid margins last week. US packers
look to be putting together a decent string of profitable
weeks after a dismal winter.

[farmers_son]

Just noticed...how does rising fuel costs translate into record high beef prices? Only in America.

[madcow]

Strange you didn't get a lot of replies to this topic ? I just filled my diesel tank yesterday,(july,15 ) 83.84cents/litre ,all taxes included.68.9 base price.There's one thing we need to keep on the minds of our local politicians, Wayne Easter went across the country last winter all wound up about the 'farm income crisis' that was affecting nearly all comodities. We would have been in that"crisis" without BSE and we need to impress upon the powers that be, that we, the beef industry ,took a double whammy.And the Fed's billion dollar aid package didn't add up to much against our losses once it was all divided up.