Episode #36
What’s the Beef About Beef? Price, Supply & Sustainability
Why does beef cost more today—and why can’t ranchers simply produce more cattle? In this episode of Rooted & Restless, Marianne Smith Edge talks with Sarah Klopatek, PhD, livestock scientist, owner of Klopatek Livestock Solutions and adjunct professor at Colorado State University, about the economic and environmental pressures shaping the U.S. beef supply. Sarah takes us beyond the grocery store price tag to the ranch, where a smaller cattle herd, drought, shrinking grasslands and processing capacity all affect beef supply and prices. They also tackle beef and sustainability—from methane and greenhouse-gas measurements to the trade-offs between grass-fed and grain-fed production. What We Cover • Why beef costs more: How cattle supplies, drought, processing capacity and consumer demand affect beef prices. • Why rebuilding takes time: The economic and environmental challenges ranchers face, • Beef and sustainability: Methane, greenhouse-gas measurements and why the way we measure environmental impact matters • Grass-fed vs. grain-fed: The environmental and production trade-offs—and why there isn't one simple answer From the ranch to the processing plant to the grocery store, this conversation goes beyond the headlines to explore what it takes to build a resilient beef supply while balancing affordability, food security and environmental sustainability. Guest: Sarah Klopatek, PhD, Founder & Principal Consultant | KLS LLC, Livestock Scientist LinkedIn Website
