RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Drought conditions in much of the country have eased, but the Great Plains region is still in trouble. The nation's cattle herd is down to 1950s numbers. As Luke Runyon of member station KUNC reports from Colorado, that means the price of beef will go up this summer, just in time for grilling season.
LUKE RUNYON, BYLINE: At Edwards Meats in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, near Denver, grinders churn out a steady stream of ground beef.
(SOUNDBITE OF MACHINERY)
RUNYON: Workers divvy up the bright red meat into trays and slide one into a glass display case. A laminated price tag is the final touch
