
How Beef Got So Expensive
From The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios
June 10, 2026 · 21 min
About this episode
The episode explores the rising costs of beef and the factors affecting ranchers' power in the industry.
In the era of the $100 steak, WSJ reporter Patrick Thomas traveled from a steakhouse in Omaha to a manure-splattered cattle auction in the Nebraska sandhills. What he found was a story about drought, debt and a stunning reversal of fortune that has left America's ranchers holding more power than they've had in decades. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - The Beef Between Cattle Ranchers and Meatpackers - How Scotts Miracle-Gro's Weed Business Went Up in Smoke Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Ryan Knutson
Guest: Patrick Thomas
Topics covered
- beef prices
- cattle ranching
- economic impact
- drought
- meat industry
Keywords
- beef
- steak
- cattle auction
- ranchers
- meatpackers
- drought
- debt
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Wall Street Journal, Spotify Studios
Places: Omaha, Nebraska sandhills
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