If you're having a barbeque this Labor Day weekend, it might cost you more. The price of beef is soaring to a record high.

"I still stick with my beef even though it's really kind of outrageous," San Diego resident Georgia Grieser told NBC 7.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics , in July, ground beef hit $6 a pound, which is 11% higher than last year. Steak is almost $11.50 per pound — 8% higher than last year.

There are multiple factors leading to the price spike. Cattle herds continue to shrink, and they dropped another 1% from 2024 to 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Climate issues aren’t helping the lack of cattle. Drought over the last few years in the Midwest has led to dwindling food for the cattle , according to agriculture experts.

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