Omaha Steaks President and CEO Nate Rempe weighs in on surging beef costs forward of the vacations, arguing that the U.S. must ‘rebuild the herd.’
America’s beef payments are set to maintain climbing, in keeping with Omaha Steaks President and CEO Nate Rempe, who cautioned that the nation’s shrinking cattle provide and document demand are driving a “$10-a-pound actuality” that would stretch household budgets for years.
“Look, domestically, we have to get our arms round it. Final time we received collectively, we talked about how the herd is at a 70-year low, demand is at an all-time excessive and the online result’s costs are via the roof,” Rempe informed “Mornings with Maria” on Friday.
“We’re headed for what I am calling … the $10-a-pound actuality. By [the] third quarter of ’26, households are gonna see $10 a pound [for] floor beef within the grocery retailer. So we’re in for a little bit of a haul right here,” he continued. “I do not consider we’ll see worth[s] come down in any significant means till someday in 2027.”
“And it is gonna be powerful on households. I imply, that is gonna be fairly a shock.”
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Rempe’s feedback come on the identical day that the White Home introduced a number of commerce offers that would result in tariff reductions on sure items, like beef exports from Argentina. The framework for the take care of Argentina additionally consists of decrease tariffs on Argentine beef imports, however doesn’t improve america’ import quota.
Beef cattle in corrals at a ranch in Sonoita, Arizona, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Getty Pictures)
One week in the past, President Donald Trump additionally introduced that he has directed the Division of Justice (DOJ) to launch an investigation into main meatpacking corporations, accusing them of driving up beef costs via “illicit collusion, worth fixing and worth manipulation.”
Beef costs are at a document excessive after a drought left cattle stock on the lowest stage in 70 years. Based on the newest client worth index information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, beef and veal costs rose 14.7% year-over-year in September, whereas raw floor beef was up 12.9%.
“There’s this idea within the trade known as ‘heifer retention.’ And it is a determination that the rancher and the feedlot operator make to carry again the feminine animal, to construct the herd versus ship[ing] it to market,” Rempe defined. “Now, that is a double-edged sword. We have began to see good indicators that that is occurring, however that signifies that the availability is gonna proceed to shrink as fewer cattle are going to market.”
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“I do assume that international provide is a part of the image, however Argentinian beef solely makes up about 2% of the overall beef provide in America. So the home provide is an excellent important part to maintaining costs low,” he stated.
The historic market curve for the U.S. beef trade appears extra like “a curler coaster” than a clean hill, in keeping with the CEO, who insisted that Omaha Steaks is doing its half “leveraging strategies that enable us to benefit from the market in a singular means.”
“We have these large blast freezers. We are able to benefit from the valley, take a big place, freeze that product, course of it and construct stock and prolong that to our clients,” Rempe stated.
Taking a shorter-term stay up for the nearing vacation season, Rempe famous how meat corporations can hedge in opposition to any points with technique.
‘The Massive Weekend Present’ co-host Tomi Lahren says that the U.S. ought to import much less international beef and label worldwide imports on ‘The Backside Line.’
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“We will flex our muscle at Omaha Steaks, and we’re going [to] maintain our main present packages on the similar costs that we have had the final 48 months. And we’re gonna try this by wanting internally, driving efficiencies into our enterprise, leveraging our vertical integration,” he stated.
“So I feel America wants to essentially look to corporations which have fascinating aggressive benefits … I hope that we are able to proceed to drive effectivity and productiveness … However, you realize, I’ve to finally purchase beef to fabricate my product. So if that worth hits an unsustainable stage, I am topic to the identical challenges.”
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FOX Enterprise’ Rachel Wolf and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.