Why Meat Prices Are Going To Continue Soaring For The Foreseeable FutureMichael Snyder Due to an absolutely crippling drought that wont let go of the western half of the country, the total size of the U.S. cattle herd has shrunk for seven years in a row, and it is now the smallest that is has been since 1951. But back in 1951, we had less than half the number of mouths to feed. And a devastating pig virus that has never been seen in the United States before has already killed up to 6 million pigs in this country and continues to spread like wildfire. What all of this means is that the supply of meat is going to be tight for the foreseeable future even as demand for meat continues to go up. This is going to result in much higher prices, and so food is going to put a much larger dent in American family budgets in the months and years to come. One year ago, the average price of USDA choice-grade beef was $4.91. Now it is up to$5.28, andthe Los Angeles Times says that we should not expect prices to come down any time soon It is estimated that up to 6 million pigs may have died already, and it is being projected that U.S. pork production could be down by 7 percent this year. That would be the largest decline in more than 30 years. But even if someone brought an end to this pig virus tomorrow, we would still be facing a very serious food crisis in this nation. The reason for this is the multi-year drought which is crippling farming and ranching in much of the western half of the country. As you can see from the latest U.S. Drought Monitor update, the drought shows no signs of letting up But I wouldnt count on it. In fact, CBS News recently interviewed one scientist that says that the state of California could potentially be facing a century-long megadrought So what will we do if this drought just keeps going and going and going? As the article quoted above noted, last century was far wetter than usual. During that time, we built teeming cities in the desert and we farmed vast areas that are usually bone dry So what happens if the western half of the country returns to normal? What will we do then? Meanwhile, drought is devastating many other very important agricultural areas around the world as well. For example, the horrible drought in Brazil could soon send the price of coffeethrough the roof At this point, 142 Brazilian cities are rationing water, and it wouldnt just be coffee that would be affected by this drought. As a recent RT article explained, Brazil is one of the leading exporters in a number of key agricultural categories Most people just assume that we will always have massive quantities of cheap, affordable food in our supermarkets. But just because that has been the case for as long as most of us can remember, that does not mean that it will always be true. Times are changing, and food prices are already starting to move upward aggressively. Yes, let us hope for the best, but let us also prepare for the worst. This article first appeared here at the American Dream. Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here. 