Speak Out: Will High Beef Prices Impact Your Summer Cookouts?

Here's news that no backyard grill wants to hear: Beef prices are on the rise and it looks like they'll climb all summer.

NPR reported today that the U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest numbers since the 1950s.

The culprit? Multi-year droughts which drove up beef prices and caused many ranchers to delve deep into their herds, with some ranchers getting rid of their herds altogether.

Dry conditions in many states could make the problem worse this summer, driving up the price of hay and other cattle supplies, in turn driving beef prices up further.

High demand during grilling seasons drives up prices each summer, but NPR reports that some cuts of meat are reaching all-time highs.

"Sometimes you throw a couple big, thick T-Bone steaks up on the scale and it's 30, 40 bucks and [customers are] like, 'Yeah, I can't afford those,'" Colorado butcher shop owner Darin Edwards told NPR.

Some are choosing other meats to throw on the grill.

Speak Out: Will rising beef prices effect your summer cookouts? Will you forgo beef and choose other things to grill? What do you like to feature at your backyard cookouts?

Tell us in the comments!