Beef prices rise as cattle shortage hits Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – From the kitchen to the cash register, the cost of beef is on the rise and everyone’s feeling it.

“I just bought a $27 T-bone steak the other day,” said Kevin Mathieu of North Little Rock.

For restaurant owners, even the smallest price jump makes an impact.

“The slightest little dollar, dollar-fifty increase — that’s a big impact,” said Kevin Doroski, general manager and co-owner of Draft + Table in Little Rock.

The reason is simple — a cattle shortage. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports Arkansas’ cattle inventory is down 1% from last year, which translates to about 1.5 million fewer cattle in the state. Nationally, herd sizes are at their lowest levels since the 1950s, leading to less supply and higher costs.

Prices are also influenced by consumer demand, feed costs, weather and the type of cut.

The rise in beef isn’t just hitting shoppers. Business owners are adjusting menus too. Just six months ago, the average cost of a burger was $14. On Tuesday, it’s up to $16.

Doroski said his restaurant has had to get creative. “One thing we’re also trying to do is some of the waste that when we’re trimming off the fat or any of the things that people can’t eat — how do you make up for that? We try and think of specials to get the little slivers off.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of ground beef in Arkansas is $6.33 per pound — nearly a dollar more than the national average.

“Beef is the thing that’s taken it higher,” Mathieu said. Doroski added that the increase has been steady. “It’s like watching it gradually go up and up and up instead of just one day it’s this much and the next day it’s twice as much. It’s real gradual.”

For now, the beef market remains unpredictable. Experts say prices will continue to rise and fall until supply can catch up with demand.