Loading video...

Video Failed to Load

Go Home

Beef prices have skyrocketed since the 1970s. What changed? We went from thousands of local, independent processors down to 4, and the Big Four no longer compete against each other. They also rigged prices against the ranchers who raise cattle, driving many small ranches out of business. The Beef...

11,576 views • 4 months ago •via X (Twitter)

0 Comments

No comments available

Comments from the original post will appear here

Related Videos

Undercover at CattleCon: Ranchers & Insiders Expose How Tyson, JBS, Cargill, & National Beef Secretly Control America's Beef Market. The OMG team did a deep dive, going undercover at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. We spoke with beef industry insiders and ranchers about the top four companies, Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef, which dominate U.S. beef processing. These four companies process the majority of U.S. beef. Over time, dozens of smaller processors merged into four major companies now known as the “Big Four.” “They [Big Four] are buying like all the companies in the United States… so they don’t have competition.” “They [Big Four] can knock you out of this industry in two seconds.” “They [Big Four] closed all the markets — all the markets are theirs in Brazil and now in the U.S.” In November 2025, President Trump tweeted that cattle prices were falling while boxed beef prices kept rising, calling it “fishy.” With the Department of Justice urging action over possible price manipulation by major meatpackers, we decided to investigate and do something about it. Our team spoke directly with ranchers and industry partners, documenting firsthand how the “Big Four” dominate the market and impact pricing. As beef prices climb, many cattle producers say they have little influence over the prices they receive, raising questions about how costs are set from the ranch to the store shelf. The Department of Justice has looked into whether the biggest beef companies have too much control over the industry and whether they worked together to raise prices. The “Big Four” companies deny any wrongdoing, insisting that prices are driven solely by supply and demand. Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef control most of the U.S. beef industry, raising serious questions about who really sets the price. So when you see higher prices at the grocery store, it’s worth asking why. This may explain why your steak keeps costing more. Tyson Foods jbsusa JBS @NationalBeeff Cargill U.S. Department of Justice Pam Bondi Antitrust Division

James O'Keefe

1,571,805 views • 5 months ago

“We’ve lost 86,000 cattle feeders like me.” “Over half of our cow-calf producers are gone.” Farmer Mike Callicrate just delivered an urgent plea to Congress: “Break up the corporate middlemen who are extracting an unfair share of the retail dollar while denying a fair income to producers and workers.” “Since I first got into the cattle industry in 1972, retail meat prices have become increasingly disconnected from cattle prices as monopolistic middlemen push producer prices lower and consumer prices higher.” “The producers’ share of the consumer dollar is now around 50% in beef, down from around 80% in 1970, when we had a lot of independent meat packers all over the country working with independent grocery stores.” “What can be done?” “We need to reform USDA’s meat inspection service to make it more workable for small processing plants.” “Invest in local regional food infrastructure and outlaw government purchasing of meat from large, multinational and foreign-owned corporations.” “That business should go to small and mid-sized slaughter plants, keeping the wealth from agriculture local, creating jobs, and revitalizing rural communities.” “We’re now relying on imports at a time when dietary guidelines are re-emphasizing high quality protein.” “Small plants like mine need fair food policy.” “Small processors have essentially no access to wholesale markets due to unfair advantages and predatory practices of big food companies.” “It’s past time to enforce antitrust laws and break up the meat monopolies like Congress did in the 1920s.” “Otherwise, consumer prices will remain disconnected from prices paid to producers, and will likely keep rising.” Mike Callicrate

Farm Action

76,549 views • 5 months ago