Beef Cattle currently cost $2000’ish for a calf at 500lbs. You have to feed it 25 lbs of hay per day for 30 months when it is ready to harvest. That’s (9,100 lbs / 900 lbs per bale, for 30 months) 304 bales total at a cost of $1,700. NO OTHER costs, I’m into the cow for $3,700 at 1400lbs full grown. I gross approx 450 lbs of meat. Thats $8.23 cents a pound., in the box. In this equation there are: No slaughter costs No operating costs No vet/transport costs No land/property taxes/insurances No upkeep No diesel No seed for the fields No fencing No labor, no profit for us working 365 days a year. (Yes, cows eat on holidays) Nothing!! For sake of argument, let’s say all these above costs are offset by selling my “premium cuts”, (which isn’t even close….BUT….lets just say for this exercise, it did. $8.22 a pound. Now: Please tell me how ground beef I can buy for $7-8 in the store with that retail store making a profit? They have to keep their doors open to. Let’s call it a 25% profit margin (and that’s LOW). That’s them buying ground at $5/$6. I’ll let y’all form your own conclusions about how this is done. You CUT corners. Period, end of story. Ain’t no other way round it. Next time you buy beef, remember this very basic math and ask yourself what exactly you are putting in your body for $7-8 bucks. Do yourself a favor and establish a relationship with your local rancher/farmer that you KNOW doesn’t cut corners AND works their brains out 365 days a year just trying to do the right thing to better their community. 🙏🥩🇺🇸