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Burger lovers beware: Neighborhood cookouts could be more expensive this summer, thanks to the conflict in the Middle East.
Global tensions are rising energy pricesresulting in higher costs for meat and propane used to fuel backyard grills, just in time for Americans to prepare for barbecue season.
“The impact of the current challenges in the Middle East on energy prices affects almost every facet of the American economy and beef cattle are not immune,” Glynn Tonsor, professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, told Fox News Digital.
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A decline in livestock farming and rising propane and fuel prices are contributing to an increase in the cost of Americans’ backyard barbecue. (Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Ranchers rely on energy for nearly every step of their process, from powering tractors in the field to using trucks to transport livestock, and those higher costs often pay off. transmitted to consumersTonsor explained.
Those pressures are appearing in the pump. The national average for a gallon of gas is now about $4.09, about 93 cents higher than just a month ago. according to AAAwith costs rising in almost all regions.
Diesel, a key fuel for freight and shipping, has risen to $5.61, about $2.03 more than last year, making it more expensive to transport livestock and beef across the country.
The knock-on effects go far beyond beef.
Propane, the fuel that powers many home grills, is also becoming more expensive as global energy markets tighten, in part because Middle Eastern countries are major suppliers to the world.
US propane prices at the Mont Belvieu hub, the industry benchmark for this type of energy, have risen nearly 19% since the conflict began in late February.
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But higher energy costs are only part of the story.
The cattle supply is still slow to respond. Unlike oil or metals, where supply can increase relatively quickly, livestock production takes years to increase after a decline.
The U.S. cattle herd is now at its smallest size in 75 years, keeping supply tight after years of droughtrising costs and an aging livestock workforce, causing producers to cut back.
This shortage of supply is already driving up prices, and the conflict with Iran only multiplies the problem.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average price of beef in grocery stores rose from about $8.70 per pound in March 2025 to $10.08 a year later, an increase of about 16%.
Americans are likely to face higher prices for outdoor dining this summer amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which is creating bottlenecks in fuel and propane transportation.
Subsequently, even if energy prices decline, beef prices will likely not follow suit.
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For shoppers, that means prices may remain high — or rise even higher — depending on whether consumers continue to shell out cash for meat and burgers, or choose to switch to cheaper alternatives.
Much of that is due to forces far beyond Americans’ backyards that continue to determine the cost of firing up the grill this summer.
