I was reading The Big Book of the 70s and came across this forgotten chapter in American history. In 1973, the price of beef skyrocketed. Grocery stores had no beef to sell. People that could find it were hoarding it. Nixon eventually set price limits on it, but all this did was lock in the high price.
What were the causes of this?
Why was there a price freeze on beef in the first place?
I remember when this happened. My mom, as a shopper at the beef counter, was interviewed by a local news team about her shopping choices in the face of this shortage. She said that she would keep buying it as long as it was available.
My family was what you would call lower middle class at the time, without a lot of disposable income. I don’t remember being affected by this shortage in the least bit. (But then again, I wasn’t in charge of the family budget).
It started with an honest-to-goodness shortage of corn. There was a corn blight in the early 1970s that wiped out a good portion of the crop. Yields and production dropped dramatically in 1970.
At that point, corn prices jumped and livestock producers, if they could even find corn, couldn’t afford it. They responded by cutting their herds.
After corn production rebounded, livestock producers rebuilt their herds. But since it takes a lot longer to raise a steer than it does a hog or a chicken, the beef shortage was bigger and lasted longer.
My family was aware of it, but since our staple meal was chicken with stir-fried broccoli and rice, it had very little impact on us (nor did the beef boycott that occurred in response to the high prices).
Johnny Hildo, I’m glad I’m not the only Doper who loves the Big Book series. I’ve got the Big Book of the 70s, of Urban Legends, of Conspiracies, of Scandals, of Weirdos, of Freaks, of Thugs, of Little Criminals, of Vice, of Losers, of Bad, of Death, and of Hoaxes.
Some of the most entertaining and interesting books ever, plus great art. I first got the Big Book of Urban Legends on the Bookmobile in 4th grade, and I’ve been a fan of this series ever since. Paradox Press rules!
Jesus, you’re young. The Big Book of Urban Legends was my first, as well. I share your love. I have the 70s, Urban Legends, Weirdos, Losers, Bad, Unexplained, Conspiracies, Scandal, Vice, Hoaxes, and Grimm. Good stuff, isn’t it?
To go a bit further back for context the same beef shortage happened during the Truman administration in the late 40s. Smithsonian magazine had a nice writeup a few months back. Nobody, but nobody, thought Truman was going to win re-election, and domestic economics was a big part of that - postwar, pent-up consumer demand coupled with price controls left from the war, labor unrest particularly with the steel industry.
i’ve got all of those, plus BBO Saints.
The set. 
Oh, yes, I should have remembered southern corn leaf blight. This was caused by a fungus Bipolaris maydis. Previously a relatively minor pathogen, it evolved to infect the Texas male sterile cytoplasm then popular to produce hybrid corn. Rather a cautionary tale on the dangers of agricultural monoculture.
