Cole ANGUS Beef

06/16/2026

𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐟: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰

Let’s clear something up real quick because we’re already seeing confusion online.

If New World Screwworm were to spread further into the United States, this does NOT mean the beef in your grocery store is suddenly going to have worms in it.

That is not how our food system works.

Here in the United States, there are multiple layers of protection between the ranch and your dinner plate.

• Animals with obvious health concerns or abnormalities are screened throughout production and again during USDA inspection.

• At harvest facilities, every animal receives both ante-mortem inspection (before harvest) and post-mortem inspection (after harvest) under USDA inspection.

• Any carcass showing contamination, severe abnormalities, or health concerns can be trimmed, condemned, or removed from the food chain entirely.

• Beef then moves through federally inspected processing systems with sanitation standards, food safety protocols, cold-chain requirements, and traceability measures.

In short: screwworm does not equal “worms in your hamburger.”

Now, here’s the part consumers should pay attention to.

Where this could matter is economics.

If producers in certain regions are forced to spend more money on prevention, treatment, veterinary care, labor, fly control, extra handling, wound management, or increased death loss, those costs eventually work their way through the supply chain.

In areas with heavy pressure, cattle movement could slow, some regions may face additional restrictions, and certain producers may temporarily reduce placements or liquidate animals instead of taking on added risk. If supply tightens while consumer demand stays strong, boxed beef prices could increase.

That does not mean empty shelves. It does not mean panic. But it could mean higher beef prices at the grocery store, especially if outbreaks become regional and prolonged.

The goal right now is exactly what ranchers, veterinarians, USDA, and animal health officials are already talking about: education, early detection, management, and prevention. The faster we manage it, the less impact it has on everybody, from producers to consumers.

💭 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂

When you hear headlines about livestock disease or pests, what concerns you most: food safety, grocery prices, or knowing what’s fact versus fear?

— 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐌 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨.
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS). The Inspection Process. Washington, DC: USDA.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). New World Screwworm Response and Preparedness Information. Washington, DC: USDA.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Beef Supply Chain and Market Fundamentals. Centennial, CO.

CattleFax. Fed Cattle, Beef Supply, and Boxed Beef Market Trends. Centennial, CO.

06/12/2026

𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐁𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐞

Let’s have the uncomfortable conversation for a minute, because if New World Screwworm becomes a larger issue in parts of the United States, there is a very real chance consumers could see higher beef prices. But before everybody assumes ranchers are suddenly striking oil, let’s clear something up: higher grocery store beef prices do not automatically mean farmers and ranchers are making more money. In many cases, we are not.

Today, four major beef packers, Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef, process the vast majority of fed cattle in the United States. That level of concentration means a very small number of companies hold tremendous influence over harvest capacity, beef supply movement, and ultimately the boxed beef market.

Here’s where things get frustrating.

When supply concerns hit headlines, whether it’s drought, disease pressure, labor shortages, export issues, or something like screwworm, wholesale boxed beef prices can move quickly. Retailers prepare for tighter supply, markets react to uncertainty, and consumers often start hearing words like “shortage” before an actual shortage even exists. USDA is already projecting continued strong beef prices because cattle numbers remain historically tight.

Meanwhile, on the ranch side, producers may be spending more money on prevention, fly control, veterinary care, wound management, labor, treatment, and increased death loss risk. Feedyards may absorb higher health costs and slower performance. But despite rising costs, most ranchers are still price takers, not price makers.

And this is the part consumers rarely see: there can be a huge gap between what ranchers receive for cattle and what consumers pay at the meat counter. USDA has tracked this for years through farm-to-retail meat price spreads. In plain English? Beef prices at the grocery store can climb while the people actually raising the cattle are still scraping by on tight margins.

So yes, it is possible consumers could see higher beef prices if screwworm pressure grows. But don’t automatically assume your local rancher is cashing in. Odds are, they’re still doctoring cattle, spending more to manage problems, and doing everything they can to keep healthy beef on your plate while someone farther up the chain captures most of the value.

This is why market transparency matters. It’s why local food systems matter. And it’s why asking who actually benefits when prices rise matters.

💭 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂

Before today, did you realize grocery store beef prices and ranch profitability are often two very different things?

— 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐌 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨.
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨

USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). Meat Price Spreads Database. Washington, DC: USDA.

USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). Cattle & Beef Market Outlook, 2026. Washington, DC: USDA.

USDA ERS. Concentration in U.S. Meatpacking Industry and How It Affects Competition and Cattle Prices (2024).

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Thoughts?