Record beef imports were supposed to cut burger prices. Farm Bureau checked 41 stores. The meat counter didn't get the memo.

Pull up a chair, because this one hits the Tuesday-night taco budget. The American Farm Bureau tracked 80% lean ground beef at 41 grocery stores in 22 states for three weeks after expanded lower-tariff beef imports kicked in on Sept. 1. The average price went from $7.29 a pound to $7.13. That's 16 cents. At 30 of the 41 stores, the price didn't budge at all, and only three reached the 25% discount the proclamation 'encouraged.' Meanwhile, the Farm Bureau says cattle prices have dropped, with some ranchers reporting $300 to $400 less per head than two months ago. So the folks raising the beef are getting squeezed, and the folks buying it aren't seeing the savings. Somebody in the middle is doing fine. The Bureau's bottom line: the real problem is a historically small U.S. cattle herd, and imports don't fix that. Its recommendation is to roll the quota expansion back and let ranchers rebuild. Worth noting that the Farm Bureau speaks for producers, so read it with that in mind. But the store-by-store numbers are right there for anyone to check. My advice from the mess hall: chuck roast on sale beats ground beef at full price every time.