I noticed beef prices are still going up and wanted to figure out why. Below is a data map I created that illustrates how we got to today’s pricing. What the map revealed is a compound bottleneck crushing the US beef industry. 10-year drought peaks force initial herd liquidations. But due to a 2–4 year federal rule-making lag, major environmental regulations land exactly as the weather breaks, acting as a permanent recovery ceiling that locks in a 10-12% herd decline. As with most government reactions, the bureaucracy is out of sync with biological cycles. @BeefUSA @FarmBureau @usda_nass @EPA