Cattle graze at Na’alae Beef Company, in Kula. Ranchers and cattlemen on Maui face challenges such as skyrocketing production costs, drought and a lack of grazing land in their attempt to make a living raising cattle. Photo courtesy William Jacintho

That juicy burger sizzling on the grill is likely to get more expensive in the coming months.

The cost of ground beef in the U.S. reached $5.98 per pound in May, the highest it’s been since the Department of Labor started tracking beef prices in the 1980s, according to the Federal Reserve.

That’s about $3 less than the average price of ground beef on Maui.

Ground beef costs have increased 45% over the last 10 years, compared with roughly 30%, according to the consumer price index.

What is not as quantifiable is the plight of the Maui rancher, for whom a lack of grazing land, the price of feed, drought and operational costs can all present challenges.

William Jacintho is a past president of the Maui Cattlemen’s Association. His family operates Na’alae Beef Company in Kula.

“Yes, beef prices are the highest they’ve ever been,” he said. “It looks like it’s going to go a little higher. I’ve been ranching all my life and it’s always been a struggle.”

Jacintho said Hawaii ranchers face a conundrum about managing a herd and making decisions concerning keeping and shipping cattle in order to maintain present and future inventory.

A rancher who breeds cattle can invest two to three years in a beef cow before it goes to market.

Add to that soaring production costs and things can get dicey.

Locally, one local wholesaler said ground beef prices, depending on quality, lean to fat ratio, retail mark up, location and other factors range from $8- $12.

Consumers, retailers have beef with rising prices. The Maui News/Andy Gross

These numbers were consistent with several retailers that indicated prices ranging from $5.99 a pound for a larger “family pack” of ground beef without a designated lean to fat content or a particular vendor to $14.49 per pound for “signature” ground beef identified as 93% lean.

What accounts for higher beef prices? The answer comes down to demand outstripping supply. Add to that supply chain issues and labor shortages in meat packing plants, and it results in rising prices for meat processing companies, the restaurant industry and consumers.

“Here in Hawaii, we face the same problems producing beef. Some ranchers chase the dollar,” Jacintho said, referring to ranchers who ship products to Washington and Oregon.

“They may not want to but they have to in order to survive,” he said. “As a beef producer, our family has always kept our customers and consumers in mind on price. We also juggle the thought of what we need to sustain the ranch. It is a balancing act, and the wire is very thin.”

So thin in fact that Jacintho bolstered his income over the past few decades by working at the University of Hawaii at Maui College.

Megan Nakashima, president of Pukalani Superette, is an advocate for locally sourced products in her family store. She said local wholesale price increases have been reasonable.

“We hold out as long as we can before making large increases, or we’ll take half steps — where the price will increase a little and we’ll eat the loss a little,” she said. “Some things that seem too crazy, we’ll quietly discontinue.

“Of the many farmers and ranchers that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, the message I always hear is that they are dedicated to providing food to our community in a way that is as accessible as they can make it.”