Schulz: Higher meat prices on a 'slow burn'

Lee Schulz, associate professor, was quoted in a Sept. 20 KCRG story, "Iowans cope with rising food prices."

Lee Schulz, an associate professor on economics, at the Iowa State University says the higher prices have been on a slow burn. Compared to August 2020, he said beef prices have steadily increased as much as 18 percent and pork prices by 10 percent. Schulz said factors include demand, the higher costs of doing business, labor costs and supply chain issues.

“It costs a lot more today to produce livestock and meat than it did a couple years ago,” Schulz said. “It’s kind of coalesce of multiple factors that came together to give us these record meat prices.”

He said relief from the high prices likely won’t come until 2022.