The retail price of beef is up in all categories from one year ago, and experts see no sign of it coming down anytime soon.

Local livestock auction yards have been around since about the time cattle were first introduced as a commercialized American food source and they are the epitome of a robustly competitive market.

Live cattle futures are down $4.35 to $4.65 so far at midday. Cash trade ranged from $230 to $232 in the north last week, with Southern sales near $235-237. Feeder cattle futures are posting $7 to ...