This story was originally produced by the Valley News. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Tom Liang, owner of Han Fusion, an Asian restaurant in Hanover, would buy cases of beef at about $5 per pound.
Today, he pays just over double that price, a notable increase, especially in the past few months during which prices have jumped from $8 to $11 a pound.
Liang’s held off on changing the prices on the menu for now, but if costs continue to rise, “we really can’t keep the price the same,” he said.
Like most food products, the cost of beef at the wholesale and retail level has been on a steady climb since the pandemic due to rising cost of production and a nationwide drought that’s contributed to a dip in feed supply, forcing many farmers to sell off their stock of beef cattle.
As of July, the cost of ground beef was $6.25 per pound, according to Federal Reserve data, which is the highest it’s been since the Department of Labor began charting beef prices in the 1980s.
In the Upper Valley, restaurateurs like Liang have been feeling the pinch of rising costs. A region-wide drought and staffing shortages at an area slaughterhouse have put farms in a bind as well.
Brandon Fox, who owns Big Fatty’s BBQ in White River Junction, said that the cost of beef has gone up $1 to $2 per pound in the past couple of weeks.
Fox normally sources his meat through Sysco, US Foods and Black River Produce, a purveyor based out of North Springfield, Vt. that belongs to parent company Performance Food Group, based in Richmond, Va.
To accommodate the rise in the cost of beef, the restaurant has slightly increased the prices of brisket, burnt ends and ribs, Fox said. Other restaurants, such as Poor House Bar-B-Q in Canaan, have noticed the rise in cost of beef too, but owner Dan Jameson isn’t very fazed. “It’s common” for prices to fluctuate, he said, noting that the hike in the cost of beef isn’t unlike the spike in egg prices earlier this year, though less drastic.
At the moment, he’s leaving his menu prices alone.
Like Fox, Jameson sources his meat through national purveyors such as Performance Food Group. Worthy Burger in South Royalton, meanwhile, buys beef directly from Almanak Farm in Chelsea and the Royal Butcher in Braintree, Vt., where prices have remained steady, said Rick Day, the restaurant’s manager and chef.
The price of beef tallow, however, which Worthy Burger buys through Performance Food Group and uses to cook fries, has gone up about 10% since the beginning of the summer, Day said.
The cost of buns has also increased about 15 cents per bun in the past three months, Day said. This is no small change for a restaurant that goes through roughly 1,400 buns a week. To help mitigate the rising cost of ingredients, the restaurant raised the price of their burgers by $1 at the beginning of the summer.
A Worthy Burger, which includes a 6-oz patty, cheddar, secret sauce, bibb lettuce, red onion and fries now goes for $19, according to the restaurant’s website.
The rise in beef prices at the consumer level has also had an impact on Upper Valley farms such as Poulin and Daughters Family Farm in Randolph.
As the price of beef in grocery stores continues to rise, Justin Poulin has noticed an increased demand for beef at his farm shop where prices are lower. A pound of ground beef, for instance, sells for $7.50.
But rather than reaping the benefits of this new demand, Poulin has had to turn customers away because the farm doesn’t have enough cattle that are ready for slaughter.
It takes roughly 24 to 30 months from birth for an animal to be ready for slaughter and “this issue is four to five months old,” he said.
“We need a year to two years in advance to be ready to meet the need,” he said.
On top of that, the farm has been feeling the effects of the region-wide drought, which has damaged this year’s hay crop that’s used to feed cows. Because of sub par pasture, Poulin has started to dip into the winter supply a couple months early.
He expects they’ll have enough hay to get through the winter, but the drought has also meant that the farm hasn’t been able to sell hay bales, which would have brought in about $10,000, at $50 a bale.
“We are nervous. We want some rain, but it’s getting late in the year to recoup anything,” he said.
Poulin normally schedules slaughtering dates at the Royal Butcher over six months in advance, so booking extra time for additional animals on short notice proves tricky.
Staffing shortages at the Royal Butcher due to employees needing days off for personal reasons and an unusually busy season in the past few weeks has exacerbated the issue.
The Royal Butcher’s owner, Justin Sauerwein, said staffing should be back to normal this week.
Roma’s Butchery, which sources its beef and pork through the Royal Butcher, has also been affected by the staffing problems. Last week, the Royalton store announced that it would be closed on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday due to a shortage of pork and beef.
“It’s a loss for our community members not being able to get local meat for their home,” said Elizabeth Roma, who owns the butchery.
