# What was the deal with The Great Beef Shortage of 1973? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394 "2007-07-11T17:48:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/1 "2007-07-11T17:48:45Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/2 "2007-07-11T17:56:41Z")
[QUOTE=TIME, Monday, Aug. 13, 1973] The Nixon Administration’s price freeze on beef, which is not scheduled to end until Sept. 12, was shutting off the supply to the public. The price of live animals was not frozen, and packers could not afford to buy at uncontrolled prices and sell at controlled prices. The number of cattle slaughtered at packing plants dropped 10% two weeks ago and plunged an estimated 23% last week. At least 40 plants shut down throughout the Middle West. [/QUOTE] [TIME | Current & Breaking News | National & World Updates](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,907689-1,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/3 "2007-07-11T18:09:49Z")
Why was there a price freeze on beef in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/4 "2007-07-11T18:29:49Z")
[QUOTE=Terminus Est] Why was there a price freeze on beef in the first place? [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > Nixon confronted a series of economic problems during his presidency. By 1973 the inflation rate was 9 percent; the Dow-Jones average of industrial stocks fell 36 percent between November 1968 and May 1970; and the unemployment rate reached 6.6 percent by the end of 1970. Nixon imposed wage-price controls in 1971, but they did little good. [http://countrystudies.us/united-states/history-126.htm](http://countrystudies.us/united-states/history-126.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/5 "2007-07-11T19:31:33Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/6 "2007-07-12T01:44:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/7 "2007-07-12T05:40:43Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/8 "2007-07-12T05:59:09Z")
**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! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/9 "2007-07-12T06:30:42Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] **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! [/QUOTE] 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? ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/10 "2007-07-12T07:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] I was reading _The Big Book of the 70s_ [/QUOTE] [Thank Og you weren’t reading this…](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/if6was9/BigBookofBritishSmiles.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/11 "2007-07-12T08:10:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/12 "2007-07-12T21:23:18Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] **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! [/QUOTE] i’ve got all of those, plus _BBO Saints_. The set. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-great-beef-shortage-of-1973/411394/13 "2007-07-12T21:54:31Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] 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. [/QUOTE] 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.