The 'Big Four' beef processors now control over 85 percent of the American market, according to federal antitrust officials. Jeffrey May, J.D., reporting for VitalLaw, notes that the government is finally taking a 'hard look' at price-fixing and information exchanges in the meat packing sector. While the bureaucrats look, the Batista family’s J&F SA—the owners of JBS—is raising $1 billion in international debt to consolidate its global empire.

Consumers are paying the price for this concentration. Through mid-April, steer slaughter is down 8.2%, pushing ground beef prices to record highs. Farm Progress reports that total fed beef production has fallen by 6.3% this year alone. The industry claims a 'tight cattle cycle' is to blame, but the record debt being raised by the giants suggests they are profiting handsomely from the scarcity.

This is the same mechanism seen in the 'Hydrological Attrition' mentioned in the World History. Whether it is water in Bahrain or beef in Iowa, the elite are engineered scarcities to drive prices up and squeeze the working class. They own the processors, they own the debt, and they own your dinner table.