I prefer moose, plus...they raise themselves.

Rogue JSK and mark_a did a great job of explaining the situation, but to expand on their points, it is my understanding that U.S.F.D.A. rules prevent ranchers from slaughtering their own cattle, and that meat processors are required to handle this vital chore.

When COVID-19 hit, like so many other industries, the meat processors were hit, and were either limited in their capacity or completely shut down. Ranchers were left with tons of cattle, ready to be slaughtered and sent to market to a waiting market demand...and no good way to do so. As pointed out previously, plenty of beef, plenty of demand, and no way to meet the demand due to the rules. Which left ranchers with few options, and many chose to limit their losses by putting the cattle down.

Locally, we have several large cattle ranches who had previously cooperated together and formed several spin-off businesses such as Dude ranch/ working ranches where the guests book experiences and help work the ranch. They also have a gift shop featuring custom hand-made items by artists and craftsman.

In addition to these for-profit ventures, they also formed a cooperative charitable foundation. When C-19 hit, many locals were hit hard, many families struggling to get food, and food banks were taxed to their limits. The charitable foundation stepped up and offered some of their locally grown beef to families, on a "needs" basis. At least some of the beef they offered likely came from cattle put down, as well as stock butchered before the pandemic. The beef they offered was some of the lesser cuts or lesser grounds, but still very much edible and delicious. Based on the overwhelming demand, they quickly ran out, and it took them weeks to source additional beef from other ranches that were willing to cooperate.

These ranches helped feed countless families and people...including myself.

The effects of elected leader's poor judgement in implementing lock-downs throughout the U.S. will ripple through the economy and some industries for years, and cattle importation is just one example.

God Bless the American cattle rancher!

I do my part to help the beef industry.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
The early A.M. Agri farm show said that America will be buying over a million pounds of beef from the U.K. as of January 1st.

Are they going to label it as UK beef?

I've eaten at some high-end London steakhouses and it was only mediocre. My friends (as in multiple) who have had expat assignments to the UK say the same thing and go a step further saying the beef is not as good as American beef.

back in the 90's when I was a meat dept manager for a company that was then known for their beef, (Winn Dixie, you might beat our prices but you can't beat our meat), I had a expat customer that would buy a whole ribeye, and freeze it,
he then took it home to the UK when visiting his kids, in his carry on,

doubt the TSA would allow that now, but then it was OK, and he said it was 10x's better than anything they had in the UK,

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
Rogue JSK and mark_a did a great job of explaining the situation, but to expand on their points, it is my understanding that U.S.F.D.A. rules prevent ranchers from slaughtering their own cattle, and that meat processors are required to handle this vital chore.

If the beef is going to be re-sold. I can butcher beef for personal consumption all day. And, I can get paid to teach others how to butcher THEIR cows all day...

Here is an example. In Virginia it is (or used to be, not sure if it has changed in the last few years) illegal for a farm owner to sell an animal, like a pig, and then transport it to the slaughter house for the new owner.

The work around: Sell the pig for $1.00. Then, the new owner hires Mark_A's transport company to move the pig from the farm to the processing plant. That fee is $300 or what ever the price of the pig would have been. The transport company and the farm are separate business entities. They can pass laws to try to stop free trade but they can't write laws smarter than man...

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
Rogue JSK and mark_a did a great job of explaining the situation, but to expand on their points, it is my understanding that U.S.F.D.A. rules prevent ranchers from slaughtering their own cattle, and that meat processors are required to handle this vital chore.

If the beef is going to be re-sold. I can butcher beef for personal consumption all day. And, I can get paid to teach others how to butcher THEIR cows all day...

Here is an example. In Virginia it is (or used to be, not sure if it has changed in the last few years) illegal for a farm owner to sell an animal, like a pig, and then transport it to the slaughter house for the new owner.

The work around: Sell the pig for $1.00. Then, the new owner hires Mark_A's transport company to move the pig from the farm to the processing plant. That fee is $300 or what ever the price of the pig would have been. The transport company and the farm are separate business entities. They can pass laws to try to stop free trade but they can't write laws smarter than man...

not sure that is a thing anymore, but it has been many years since I was in the meat business,


re the processor, any beef sold has to go thru the USDA inspection process, and be processed in an approved and inspected facility,

When I opened this thread I thought it would be about the excessive "carbon footprint" of the beef industry (ie, cow farts).

(What can I say, I live in CA)

To answer the OP’s question. Yes of course we are look at the amount of heart disease this country has.

quote:

Are Americans eating too much beef?

To answer the title question, “Are Americans eating too much beef?”, the only correct answer is, “Only if it is getting in the way of their bacon intake.”

Seriously, the West was not won on salad.

If "we" are (eating too much beef), then I'm certainly not doing my part anymore. The meds can only do so much compensating...

Loved this article - from the Guardian...so it's legit and unbiased

12% of the people eat 50% of the beef in the US!

High steaks society: who are the 12% of people consuming half of all beef in the US?
Aliya Uteuova
Fri, October 20, 2023 at 6:00 AM EDT·4 min read
5.1k

<span>Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
One of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis, accounting for a third of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions, is food production, with meat – particularly beef – at the top of the list.

The US is the biggest consumer of beef in the world, but, according to new research, it’s actually a small percentage of people who are doing most of the eating. A recent study shows that on any given day, just 12% of people in the US account for half of all beef consumed in the US.

Related: Hot air: five climate myths pushed by the US beef industry

“It may be that some of those 12% don’t realize the impacts that beef has on their health or the environment,” said study author Diego Rose, professor and director of nutrition at Tulane University. “The concern is, on a usual basis, are you eating a disproportionate amount?”

Research has shown that beef production, which goes hand in hand with deforestation to create grazing land for cows, is responsible for over 4.2bn metric tons of global carbon emissions. Consuming beef is up to 10 times more impactful than chicken, and over 50 times that of beans. Numerous health studies have shown risks of elevated heart disease from red meat.

So who is this 12% consuming all that beef?

Men and people between the ages of 50 and 65 were more likely to be in what the researchers dubbed as “disproportionate beef eaters”, defined as those who, based on a recommended daily 2,200 calorie-diet, eat more than four ounces – the rough equivalent of more than one hamburger – daily. The study analyzed one-day dietary snapshots from over 10,000 US adults over a four-year period.

White people were among those more likely to eat more beef, compared with other racial and ethnic groups like Black and Asian Americans. Older adults, college graduates, and those who looked up MyPlate, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) online nutritional educational campaign, were far less likely to consume a disproportionate amount of beef.

The USDA recommends eating no more than 4oz (113 grams) of all meat, poultry and egg products. On average, teenage boys consume more meat, poultry and eggs than is recommended by these guidelines, and for adult men, the distance from the recommendations is even greater, the study reveals.

Experts say there are deep historical and cultural reasons why beef intake is higher for men and boys.

“There’s this connection between meat consumption and masculinity,” said Joshua Specht, author of the book Red Meat Republic: A Hoof-to-Table History of How Beef Changed America. “Historically, to be a successful man in America meant eating beef.”

Beef was first introduced in North America as European colonizers cleared Indigenous land and livestock like bison. It became a core part of the nation’s identity in the late 19th century, with the expansion in the United States west.

Meat, apple pie, football, having a truck, it becomes a marker of identity

Joshua Specht

In the early 20th century, with the arrival of immigrants from Europe, where eating meat was reserved for special occasions, the vast grazing land and industrialization of beef production meant that the rare delicacy was more attainable. Federal subsidies for beef production later made it even cheaper and easier to access.

Now, amid growing public discourse over the dangers of meat consumption, Republicans have politicized meat. There have even been false claims that Joe Biden would “take away” hamburgers.

Specht said that meat is now part of “what it means to be American”. “Meat, apple pie, football, having a truck, it becomes a marker of identity.”

Making a positive impact on the climate doesn’t necessarily mean giving up all meat – even reductions and substitutions can make a difference. A study from last year showed that people who replaced chicken for beef decreased their carbon dioxide emissions from food by 48% each day.

A recent study published in Nature shows that if by 2050, people substitute half of the global beef, chicken, pork and milk consumption for plant-based alternatives, emissions from agriculture and land use to produce these animal products would decline by 31%.

The way to approach such substitution should focus on “trying to convince people to start with a gradual change”, said Marta Kozycka who authored the substitution study, “as radical solutions might be a bit difficult to accept for some people”.

Rose says it’s critical for educational programs to try to reach disproportionate beef eaters, since changing their diets will have the most impact. But is it possible? Specht is skeptical, given how ingrained our eating habits are, and says that a better strategy is to try to prevent people from becoming disproportionate eaters in the first place.

“There are lots of folks that can cut back,” said Rose. “The more people understand the health and environmental implications of beef eating, the more that some of them will eat less.”

He added: “We may like the cheap price of beef, but we’re paying a lot more for it than we realize.”

No we are not.

Beef and other ruminant meat is some of the most nutrient dense food a human can eat. Our ancestors, my grandparents for example, ate it "nose to tail". There was nothing that was not used in some manner.

We try to acquire most of ours from a local farmer - Angus mostly. If I eat one beef meal until I am satiated, I can go a day or two with out feeling any hunger, especially if I include some liver.

If you want to understand another one of the scams being played on the population, read the book "The Great Plant-Based Con: Why eating a plants-only diet won't improve your health or save the planet"

Amazon

I like beef. Love it, in fact. A good steak is my favorite meal. Better than lobster or crab.

But I'm not paying these prices.

Chicken, pork and fish will have to do it for a while. Locally, fresh salmon and cod is cheaper than decent steak.

I see numerous online vendors/farms selling beef subscriptions these days. Perhaps marketed to the carnivore crowds. The demand for "grass-fed" is increasing. I put grass-fed in quotes since most cattle are grass fed and finished with grain. I don't think the increased cost is worth it. The Omega-3 impact is minimal in my opinion. I definitely buy GF if it's marked down. Still looking for a seller who has a subscription for the cheap cuts. Chuck is definitely scarce these days. Seasonal supply and demand I suppose.

Have two steaks marinating in the fridge now.I eat about half beef half chicken.

Some fresh fish once in a while.

Nope! No such thing

And to prove my point I’ll be at Fogo de Chao tonight getting the meat sweats celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary.

I recently bought a Mustang Mach E.

Since I’m driving electric now and I can eat more beef and it will even out.

Sounds logical to me…

Well, just my unasked for opinion, but I think any American beef is far healthier than the genetically distorted grain products marketed to Americans as healthy food. When I was a kid it was rare to see the awful distorted obese shapes that commonly occur today. Something just ain't right. Change my mind, but I warn you I am 83 and stubborn. lol