Ground beef just hit a record $6.89 a pound, up 80% since 2019 — and nobody along the supply chain sees relief coming. Ranchers like Eric Gropper point to years of drought that have shrunk cattle herds to their lowest level in decades. Meanwhile, meatpackers have been hammered by labor shortages and plant closures. And restaurants have had no choice but to keep raising prices. But how much of this is the market, and how much is manipulation? Since the late 1970s, just four companies — Tyson,