PARKERSBURG – Circumstances that made meat cheap the past two years did an about-face. Holiday barbecues will be a little more costly this summer.
Too many animals and not enough people eating beef and pork was a good combination for consumers but bad for producers. Meat was a bargain; growers floundered.
The tables have turned – for now.
Two years of herd reductions and surging demand for meat will make this summer profitable for livestock producers, agriculture experts say. Retailers, on the other hand, said consumers better be ready to fork out extra cash for ribeyes and pork chops to stick on the grill on Memorial Day, and for months to come. Chicken, for the time being, is still a bargain, according to the government.
"Our biggest thing is pork is up a ton – about 25 percent in the last two months," said Carl Brouwer, meat department manager at Brothers Market in Parkersburg.
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