LIMA, OHIO -
Anyone who's picked up some beef at the store or ordered a steak at their favorite restaurant may still be suffering from sticker shock.
The cost of beef has hit record high's and the price hike is being blamed on everything from fuel prices to a devastating drought in Texas. That has the beef cattle herd in the U.S. down to its lowest level in sixty years. Others blame the government's focus on alternative energy and say subsidizing the production of ethanol fuel from corn has driven feed prices up, and forced some cattle farmers out of the business.
Local restaurants specializing in steaks say the cost of beef they buy usually spikes and then drops down again.
But they have seen the prices consistently rise for the past five years with no relief in sight.
Beef experts say the price hike couldn't come at a worse time with grilling season just getting under way.
