A Wyoming weekend turned into a culinary showdown that exposed America’s ground beef crisis.
The Ground Beef Crisis
He arrived with foie gras, truffles, three fly rods and a keg of Speed Goat beer.
Paul picked him up at Billings Logan airport and introduced Peter Allen, owner of Mastodon Valley Farms, who was bringing 40 pounds of his own beef.
The expected slow‑roasted lamb vanished; instead he spent the night grilling hamburgers.
The patty held together, stayed juicy, and delivered a bite described as absurdly perfect.
Butterworth’s has kept burgers off its menu for two years because quality ground beef is virtually impossible to source.
Policy Shifts and Rancher Fallout
A 2002 law required labels showing where beef was born, raised and slaughtered, but a 2015 congressional repeal removed those requirements under WTO pressure.
The repeal allowed mixed‑origin ground beef, prompting ranchers to sell cattle to the cheapest market and causing the herd to shrink to 86.2 million head, the lowest since 1951.
In 2025 the USDA closed livestock ports to Mexico after a New World Screwworm outbreak, further tightening supply.
President Trump recently expanded the import break, a move meant to lower prices but which threatens the viability of American ranching.
Chef Bart Hutchins of Butterworth’s told reporters he adds Peter’s beef when available because it tastes great and represents America’s greatness, while fearing a future without such quality.
If the trend continues, the only beef left on plates may be a pink slurry filling a Doritos Locos Taco.
