High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching
As a small farmer, I can tell you: independent small-scale farming is <i>not</i> profitable in any meaningful manner.  Government is actively killing it, by giving away every possible concession to Big Ag.<p>The food in stores is pretty much all garbage compared to food raised on small farms.  It sickens me to see things go this way, but this is the reality that we have created.