Beef prices jump up

Consumers in Iowa and nationwide are seeing record high prices for beef, in part, because of the prolonged frigid winter. Joel Brinkmeyer, executive vice president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, says it’s harder to fatten cattle up in the damp, cold weather.U-S-D-A choice cuts hit a record high of three-dollars-21-cents a pound in January. Besides the long winter, Brinkmeyer says prices are so high for beef simply because the demand is high.The Cattlemen’s Association has 12-thousand Iowa members. Brinkmeyer says demand for beef will only increase in the coming months as warm weather returns and people start to fire up their grills.Industry analysts say it’s too early to predict the impact on U-S beef prices and supplies from the European outbreaks of mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease.