Rising beef costs squeeze Texas A&M's hands-on barbecue course

Students in Texas A&M University's Texas Barbecue Course spent part of this week working through more than 36 racks of beef short ribs and pork ribs at the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center. The cook fed close to 200 people, and the meat on the smokers cost far more than it once did.

Davey Griffin, a meat specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife, told KBTX the price of the cuts the class buys has climbed steadily, with beef leading the way. "A lot of times these have doubled and tripled since we started this," he said.

The course is built around a different lesson each week, with first-year students and returning student teaching assistants handling the cooking. Griffin said the program has to plan its budget around the higher prices so students still see the full range of cuts, and he said there are no plans to cut back.

Why beef costs more

David Anderson, a livestock economist with Texas A&M AgriLife, said some beef cuts now sell for more than $10 a pound nationally. He tied the prices to a U.S. cattle herd that has shrunk to its smallest size since 1961.

High prices would normally push ranchers to expand their herds, Anderson said, but drought in cattle country has made that hard. Interest rates and diesel prices have added to producers' costs, while consumer demand for beef has held up. "We have drought in many of these areas that we produce cattle," he said.

Anderson said rebuilding a herd takes years, and he does not expect a quick turnaround. Until ranchers get rain and some relief on costs, he said, shoppers will likely keep paying more.

Local barbecue restaurants have faced the same math for months, with some trimming menus or raising prices. For the meat science program, the plan for now is to keep teaching one cut at a time through the end of the semester.

Sources

KBTX