689. Here’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So Pricey

An economist calls America’s beef industry a “miracle.” An antitrust scholar calls it “broken.” Maybe they’re both right? SOURCES: Austin Frerick , agriculture antitrust expert, fellow at Yale University, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry . Robert Hodgen , C.E.O. of King Ranch. Roger Horowitz , food historian, director of the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library. Derrell Peel , Charles Breedlove Professorship of Agribusiness in the department of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. RESOURCES: " The hamburger story ," by Derrell Peel (Beef, 2026). " Trump is letting in 300,000 tons of beef duty-free. Don’t expect cheaper burgers, " by Elisabeth Buchwald (CNN, 2026). " DOJ Probes Soaring Beef Prices at Eight Major Stores Including Walmart ," by Hugh Cameron (Newsweek, 2026). " Takeaways from the Pause on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement ," by Brendan Quigley, Bridget Moore, Kyle Clark, and Baker Botts (Harvard Law School, 2025). " Tyson and Leviathan: USDA Rulemaking and the PSA Harm to Competition Requirement ," by Spencer James Parts (University of Chicago Business Review, 2022). " Average Price: All Uncooked Ground Beef (Cost per Pound/453.6 Grams) in U.S. City Average ," (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ). EXTRAS: " An Economics Lesson from a Talking Pencil (Update) ," by Freakonomics Radio (2025). " The Future of Meat ," by Freakonomics Radio (2019). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.