Shoppers and restaurant owners are paying higher beef prices, but meatpacking companies appear to be the only ones reaping benefits, the New York Times reports.

State of play: Beef and veal prices are up more than 3% from a year ago, according to the latest government data.

• COVID-19 plant closures, dry hay conditions for cattle and the recent JBS ransomware attack hurt our livestock supply for years to come, Axios' Courtenay Brown reports.

What they're saying: Cattle ranchers and some grocery stores point to meatpacking giants Cargill, JBS, Tyson Foods and National Beef as the only ones profiting off higher prices.

• "The frustration for producers like myself is that you're looking at a situation where demand for beef, domestically and globally, has never been this good," Brad Kooima, a rancher in Rock Valley, Iowa, told the Times. "And we're not making any money."

Zoom in: At Smokey D's BBQ in Des Moines, owner Darren Warth says he prides himself on affordable menu items. But wholesale brisket prices have doubled, costing him thousands more a month.

• Brisket is $18.99 a pound at his restaurant. To break even, he would have to charge $38.99.
• Instead, he's stopped selling flats and serves chopped brisket to save money.
• "Nobody's going to pay $39 for a pound of brisket," Warth told Linh. "I'm not going to pay that and personally, I'm not going to try and sell it that way."

Between the lines: COVID-19 shook up our supply chain, but cattle ranchers have accused meatpacking plants of price fixing for years.

What's next: Congressional members have called for investigations into meatpacking plant pricing over the last year. A Senate committee is holding a hearing Wednesday on cattle market pricing and transparency.

Des Moines officials are cracking down on protests during City Council meetings, saying police will issue citations against people who violate their rules of conduct.

Flashback: The council's first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 outbreak was cut short earlier this month when a group of protesters filled the room, demanding the city deny a nearly $11K police training program in Florida proposed for later this summer.

What's happening: Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie says the city is posting its existing rules of conduct in City Hall, and failure to follow them could result in a misdemeanor charge.

• The rules prohibit loud or abusive language, interrupting anyone addressing the council and standing in the front of the council chamber when a meeting is underway.

What he's saying: Cownie said the council needs to be able to get through their agenda without disruption.

• "For those who wish to disrupt and infringe upon the rights of others, there will be consequences," Cownie said in a statement.

The other side: Activists on social media said enforcing the rules criminalizes protesters.

Of note: Today, the council will consider an amendment to no longer allow oral requests for an item to be removed from the consent agenda.

• Activists often used this time to share grievances over things like police funding.
• Only written requests would be allowed under the amendment.

The Lauridsen name has popped up on multiple new community amenities across the metro in recent months.

• One of our Axios DSM readers asked: Who are they?

Answer: The people behind the name are Nix and Virginia Lauridsen.

• Nix is the cofounder and chairman of Ankeny-based Lauridsen Group, which is made up of several businesses that develop, manufacture and market health supplements.
• Virginia is a classical singer. She's also a former faculty member at Simpson College.

They've given millions of dollars to several major projects in recent years.

• Water Works Park: $1.5 million for the $13 million project that includes the recently completed Lauridsen Amphitheater.
• Mainframe Studios: Pledged $1 million for a 180-artist studio project billed as the largest nonprofit arts space in the nation.
• Lauridsen Skate Park: $1 million to the new facility that recently hosted the Dew Tour.
• Des Moines Metro Opera: A $2 million donation was announced this month in support of a 50th anniversary season project.

• The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Casey's wrongly fired two warehouse workers over drug tests, but the company's program generally complied with state law. (Business Record)
• The first $50K winner of Polk County's vaccine lottery was Kim Kietzman of Altoona. More than $300K in prizes will be given through Aug. 20. (Des Moines Register)
• DSM developers on Friday were awarded $50 million in state grants for two proposed projects: $23.5 million for a roughly $276 million soccer stadium development and $26.5 million for an estimated $122 Merle Hay Mall redevelopment plan. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
• A 12-hour standoff between a DSM man and police ended Saturday with no injuries. (WHO-TV)

🌽 Thank you for the corn pun, Karla Voboril.

Our sculpture park power ranking

• "It's the best because it's interactive. Viewers can go inside and react with the work. It's peaceful, not creepy, and it draws you in." — Nancy Hoffman of West Des Moines on "Nomade," pictured above.

The cost of Des Moines' parking meters

• "When will DSM join the cutting-edge communities with parking apps? (You know, places like Dubuque)?" — Emily Parcell, West Des Moines

The best thing Linh ate: ChuChu Donuts

• "Literally could not love ChuChu any more. We had friends visit this past weekend whose son has a severe peanut allergy ... but then I found out that ChuChu is totally nut-free. They were a HIT with our company, of course." — Mazie Stilwell, Des Moines

The best in show winner of this year's DSM Arts Festival was printmaker Marina Terauds of Michigan.

• The three-day festival ended yesterday.

Mark your calendar: Next year's festival on June 24-26 will honor the event's 25th anniversary.