Why are beef prices rising? And how is politics involved?

“Record high beef prices” are forcing restaurants to rethink their menus, said The Columbus Dispatch . Among the reasons for the higher prices: drought, smaller cattle herds and rising consumer demand, said the Dispatch. The “law of supply and demand” is a factor in rising beef prices, said NPR , but so are political decisions. Cattle ranchers are benefiting from record beef prices, said The Wall Street Journal . “Americans can’t get enough of the red meat” despite the high prices, said Yahoo Finance .