In today’s beef buzz, Senior Farm And Ranch Director Ron Hays speaks with Dr. Glynn Tonsor, extension livestock market economist at Kansas State University, and lead author of the Meat Demand Monitor, who said the latest data shows beef demand remains resilient. “August is the most recent data that we have to speak to and I would say that was a really good demand update,” he explained. Seven of the eight tracked protein categories, across both retail and food service, showed higher willingness-to-pay values compared to July.
Tonsor noted that food service demand has been a particular point of interest. “I’ve been emphasizing the away from home part of that, because there’s been a lot of concern during 2025 about food service,” he said. He suggested late-summer travel and vacations may have boosted restaurant demand, adding, “We’ll see if that continues in the months ahead. I obviously hope it does.”
The Meat Demand Monitor is built on monthly surveys of more than 3,000 U.S. residents, which Tonsor described as “a nationally representative effort.” Respondents report their willingness to pay, along with the factors most important to their protein purchases. According to Tonsor, “Taste, freshness, price and safety regularly are the top four and then conversely, things like environmental impact, animal welfare, origin, traceability, use of hormones and antibiotics are the four that are most often in the bottom four bucket.”
While those priorities remain consistent overall, Tonsor pointed out notable generational differences. “Taste and freshness are most important regardless of generation but the willingness to trade those things off, kind of how steep those trade-offs are differs a fair amount by generation,” he said. Millennials, he explained, are “more willing to give up taste or price for some of those production practice claims,” while Baby Boomers are “much less likely to give up taste, freshness, price.”
Tonsor emphasized the implications for niche marketing and consumer outreach. “Not all U.S. residents are equal,” he stressed. “We have a large, very diverse public and we need to keep all that in mind.” For those interested in exploring the data further, Tonsor recommended visiting the AgManager.info website, where the monthly Meat Demand Monitor reports are available.
Dr. Tonsor expressed his appreciation to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Beef Checkoff for the continuing support for the Meat Demand Monitor. He says that the new authorizations by the Checkoff for Fiscal Year 2026 that begins October first includes a commitment to support the Monitor for the next three years. The Beef Checkoff and Pork Checkoff underwrite the work that Dr. Tonsor leads in releasing the Meat Demand Monitor monthly.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
