In Case You Missed It: Maryland Farm Bureau was featured as part of the cover story of the July 31st, 2025 edition of The Baltimore Sun, reiterating how cattle farmers are feeling pinched from high-input costs:

Beef prices up 11% since January; Maryland consumers, cattle farmers feeling the pinch
By Stella Canino-Quinones
PUBLISHED: July 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT

Hosting a cookout? You might find yourself skipping the burgers, steaks or ribs — beef prices have surged across the country since 2024.

Kiana Mcnair, a 25-year-old mother of two children, used to buy four packs of beef on an average shopping trip to her local Giant Food grocery store in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood. Now, she said, she buys only two packs, supplementing with produce and turkey products.

The average price of beef has increased nearly 11% since January, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly data. The price of ground beef and steaks has risen 10.3% and 12.4% respectively since June 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And more price increases may come in the next few days, thanks to another round of tariffs by the Trump administration set to take effect later this week on major trade partners that provide much of the U.S.’s beef, including Brazil.

Consumers are buying less beef — or none at all — as prices go up. At the same time, local farmers say they are struggling, too; when asked about price increases, they cite years of drought, increasing production costs and fewer heads of cattle raised in the U.S.

“Our farmers are price takers, not price makers,” said Jeb Burchick, Maryland Farm Bureau director of communications. “All of those high input costs go to the final product, and it’s not like these farmers are taking home more profit.”

Roseda Farms is a Baltimore County cattle ranch that sells its black Angus beef to local restaurants and grocery stores. It has been open for almost 30 years. The farm raises its own cattle and processes beef and other livestock for itself and other farmers.

This year, the farm had to increase product prices because there simply wasn’t enough cattle, said Dean Bryant, cattle manager for Roseda Farms.

“It’s a supply and demand issue,” said Bryant. “There’s nothing artificial: no tariffs, not increased cost of other stuff.”

Tariffs on beef importers result in higher costs
The United States imported a total of 4.6 billion pounds of beef and veal from other countries in 2024, according to annual U.S. Department of Agriculture data. The weight is a conversion of the entire weight of the carcass, which includes bones, trimmings, tendons, etc.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil are the top beef importers and these countries face tariffs ranging from 10% to 50%.

Brazil, the world’s leading beef exporter, now faces a 50% tariff rate on products exported to the U.S. after tensions rose between the two presidents.

If the tariffs go into effect on Friday, meat processors and other wholesalers will have to pass the prices down to the consumer. One lawmaker called on the White House to rethink its tariff strategy before it harmed consumers and cattle farmers.

“There are no winners from Trump’s across-the-board tariffs,” said Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. “They will cause prices to rise for consumers, and for the inputs used by farmers and beef producers alike. We need a targeted approach that avoids increasing costs and instead focuses on strengthening food safety and promoting fair competition.”

Maryland Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Steve Connelly agreed that tariffs will increase prices for meat processors that import from other countries. But, he said, U.S. cattle farmers would benefit since they sell their products at a higher price — and increased prices on imported cuts of beef will help level the playing field.

At the same time, the recent trade agreements with Australia, Japan and the European Union would allow more producers and processors to enter those markets, he said.

Droughts and low headcount
In Maryland, the majority of beef products on grocery-store shelves and in restaurants come from other states, Connelly said. The state is home to about 50,000 beef cows and 35,000 dairy cows. Some, when they reach the end of their life, are processed into beef, as well.

About 2,300 beef farm operations are held within Maryland’s borders, with some farms ranging from one cow to 2,000, said Maryland Farm Bureau Director of Government Relations Tyler Hough. The majority are family-owned, and most, he said, aren’t making a big profit.

“I want to emphasize how tight the margins are for profit, not only in the cattle industry, but across all industries,” Hough said. Maryland farmers have to increase their prices to cover the operational costs, but it doesn’t necessarily mean higher profits, he said.

Drought is also playing a big factor, Hough said.

Across the U.S., drought is burning off grass, leaving less grass for cattle to eat, Hough. The nation has hit a record-low level of cattle, the lowest in 74 years, he said, and, last year, Maryland saw the same drought in certain areas.

10.2 million beef cattle in the United States are experiencing moderate to severe droughts, with 324 counties declared with droughts, according to NOAA and USDA drought data.

In Allegany County, last year’s drought burned off pastures, leaving cattle without food. As a result, Hough said, farmers, who typically feed cattle hay in fall and winter, had to buy hay earlier to feed their livestock. That, he said, was a hit to their bottom line.

Beef processors cutting into profits
Cattle farmers aren’t the only ones affected by the increase in beef prices: Local cattle processors, or businesses that turn cattle into meat products for sale, are being “hammered” right now, Connelly said.

A year ago, Roseda Farms could buy “fat cattle,” or cattle that had reached an appropriate weight for harvest, for $2.04 per pound, Bryant said. Last week, though, it cost them $2.40 a pound.

Because fewer cattle are available for slaughter, meat packers have to bid higher on the cattle that farmers raise. Over the last year, prices have increased by 25% for all cuts of beef as well as live cattle, he said.

The result? They can’t afford to slaughter and butcher the same number of cattle this year.

Although some customers have accepted the price increase, sales are down among wholesale customers, like restaurants and grocery stores, he said. Those have switched to cheaper suppliers.

Although their meat processing plant could kill a total of 85 heads of cattle a week, this year, they’re slaughtering half that, Bryant said.

Link to original article.