Let's apply a little reality, here. People in futures markets sell short to cash in at the dip when they buy back in. The more pronounced the dip the more they can make.
It's to their benefit to panic the market, because it will come back up.
The point is, we don't want herds thinned now, for the long haul recovery of the beef herds.
but, to be real, (with the caveat that the numbers come from AI), 300,000 metric tons of ground beef will last the United States roughly 8 to 12 days based on total national consumption.