(Radio Iowa) — Warm weather will bring the grilling season and those who love to grill may be treated to slightly lower meat prices. Many factors contribute to the price we pay for a pound of burger at the grocery store, but swirling market forces typically don’t have a quick impact on them. Iowa State University livestock economist Lee Schultz says farmers and ranchers are producing a lot of beef. And, the global market has some good deals on things like hamburger.  “We’ve seen significant contraction and culling in the Australian market, for example, and so we can go out there and purchase that lean beef and that does help prices for our consumers here,” Schultz says.

Schulz says it also means beef producers are ready to take advantage of new and revised trade deals the United States has with Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and Canada. “They all have the potential to be major players for U-S products. Now I think the kink that’s been put in all this is the COVID-19 and the potential impact this is going to cause,” according to Schultz.

Schultz says there seems to be some progress in the Phase One deal with China now, after the disease stalled trade because workers were locked out of ports and other work sites.