Ground-beef economics are determined by trim specification, not slaughter numbers alone

The US ground-beef market illustrates why one price quotation is not enough to interpret beef availability. An October 20 analysis from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension reports that the price of 50% lean boneless beef fell sharply from mid-year levels: from around $185 per hundredweight in May and June to $89 in mid-October. The reference was 36% below the comparable point a year earlier.