Ground beef surge forces Brewers fans to rethink tailgate menus this postseason

With the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs, barbecues, tailgates and watch parties are a constant, and fans could feel the financial impact as ground beef prices continue to climb.

"Brewers go! I hope, I hope they take it all away," said Shelley Mathews, a shopper at Outpost Natural Foods Co-op.

Mathews is a Wisconsin sports fan and an even bigger Wisconsin farmers fan. She works at Full Circle 26 Inc., where she teaches people how to grow food indoors and monitors how farmers are doing across the state.

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With the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs, barbecues, tailgates and watch parties are a constant, and fans could feel the financial impact as ground beef prices continue to climb.

Ground beef surge forces Brewers fans to rethink tailgate menus this postseason

beef brewers thumb.jpeg

By: Meryl Hubbard

Posted 4:00 AM, Oct 10, 2025 and last updated 4:41 AM, Oct 10, 2025

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — With the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs, barbecues, tailgates and watch parties are a constant, and fans could feel the financial impact as ground beef prices continue to climb.

"Brewers go! I hope, I hope they take it all away," said Shelley Mathews, a shopper at Outpost Natural Foods Co-op.

Watch: Ground beef surge forces Brewers fans to rethink tailgate menus this postseason

Mathews is a Wisconsin sports fan and an even bigger Wisconsin farmers fan. She works at Full Circle 26 Inc., where she teaches people how to grow food indoors and monitors how farmers are doing across the state.

Like many shoppers, she's noticed that ground beef prices have increased significantly. The price is up about 51% since February 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"When COVID happened, our food supply was broken. And you don't, you know, raise a beef cattle overnight. It's taken a while for the industry to catch back up in the food supply and distribution, too," Mathews said.