Beef prices hit record highs ahead of Fourth of July weekend
FREEBURG, Mo. (KMIZ)
Independence Day cookouts may cost a bit more this year, as holiday shoppers face higher prices at the grocery store.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 2026 Summer Cookout Cost Survey, this year will have the highest prices for cookouts. A classic Independence Day cookout for 10 people will cost $73.82, or about $7.38 per person. That is an increase of $2.90, or 4%, from last year.
When it comes to beef prices, the AFBF reports the average cost for 2 pounds of ground beef will increase by around 5.5% in 2025. The group says the rise is driven by years of severe drought high-operating costs and a smaller national herd has tightened supplies.
Steve Falter runs Wagon Bridge Farms. The farm specializes in raising Wagyu-Angus cross beef cattle. While prices are up, the input costs farmers have to put into their products are as well.
“Yeah, prices are up there, I agree, but the input costs and everything else that go along with providing for these animals and breeding them have gone up as well," he said.
Falter added rising input costs -- such as fertilizer, fuel, and land maintenance -- all play a major role in determining beef prices.
“We have to cover all of our costs and hopefully be able to make a living on top of that," he said. "For the last 15 years, farmers haven’t really been able to make what is considered a good living."'
He added that many farmers turn all their income around and put it back into their equipment, land, or fence, leaving little profit to be made. Falter said during the past 15 years, inflation has taken a major hit on the farming industry, adding that is the biggest reason for the price hikes.
"I'd say the biggest reason is inflation; the value of the dollar is basically the same, but the values applied to the dollar have gone up," he said. "Farmers are on the bottom end of that supply chain, and we are the ones that have to absorb the hit if something happens."
Although inflation remains persistent in the industry, Falter noted he has recently seen some relief.
"Finally, now at this point with prices, the way they are, we’re actually capable of making a living on these livestock and all of all the work that we have to do to put in to raise it," he said.
According to the AFBF, regional holiday cookout costs for 10 people are lowest in the Northeast at $71.35, closely followed by the Midwest at $71.45 and the South at $72.08. Notably, all three regions came in below the national average of $73.82.
