NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
The cost of a hamburger or steak meal will cost diners more this year and the cattle industry says the weather is to blame.
"A lot of it has to do with the supply and demand. The droughts they've seen in Texas and western states have influenced the cow herd here and the cash crop has shortened as a result," Josh Gunn of Springfield's Gourmet Pasture Beef explained.
The dwindling corn crop has caused a domino effect that has forced farmers to decrease their heads of cattle.
Gourmet Pasture Beef's cows are grass fed, but Gunn says it still costs "a lot more to do the same amount of work it did five years ago."
He believes as prices continue to rise, consumers are becoming a little more picky about their beef.
They not only want grass fed humanely kept cows they want to know where their meet is coming from.
In addition, if the Lone Star State has another hot, dry summer, cattle ranchers fear prices could rise even more.
Read more at GourmetPastureBeef.com.
