What is your opinion of the beef industry?

[TrueBlueGT]

Most of you don't know that my family & I farm as well as run a sizeable beef cattle operation in central KS. This has been the main endeavor of my family for four generations now & we, like every private business, constantly look for opportunities to produce a higher quality product in a more efficient manner than we did in the past. However, it seems a lot of the articles I see anymore paint a dark picture of the beef industry as they try to push people towards a more mediterranean diet heavily weighted with fruits & grains. I recently read an excerpt from an op-ed piece printed in a university paper that stated "the human consumption of meat is ruining our bodies, our planet, and our atmosphere while subjecting billions of animals to unnecessary cruelty." Now, I would expect this type of rhetoric from any of the left-coast institutions of liberal learning.....but this came from a poli-sci senior at my alma mater, kansas state university. KSU is a land grant college centered around agriculture (and hopefully a winning football program again soon, but I digress). Her op-ed got me thinking about how most of you are at least three or more generations removed from your agricultural ancestry & probably are either uninformed or sorely misinformed of this industry.

With that in mind, I'd like to know what your overall opinion is of the beef industry. It interests me to know how our business is viewed by the consumers we serve & this is the widest forum I'm part of in terms of socio-economic diversity. Don't airbrush your opinion; I'd like to know.

TBGT

 

[pho_phizzat]

I live in Wyoming, there are more cows than people and thats no joke,

60% of the people i grew up with lived on ranches and raised cattle,

im all for it. im all about eating beef, using leather, riding bulls etc etc,

just because that lady is a vegecrate doesnt mean that we all have to be as well, but people are so gullable that they wont find out the facts themselves and will believe what the media tells them.:cuss:

 

[CBrowning84]

Well...

I <3 STEAK!!!!!

 

[carrrnuttt]

Moar steak. That's my opinion.

 

[IH8GM]

Beef it whats for dinner....Steak and potatoes myself. I think its divided by liberalism and conservatism.Lib's tend to be vegans and veggies and conservative are all for cow murder.

Its all about the mad cow disease when will they pass it to humans?

I respect farmers they work hard as I have a friend who owns a family farm in corona CA and he does well for himself. Ill tell you though i could never work there , every time i go up there i get a bad case nausea from the odor.

 

[lokslikasolstic]

Screw the chicken's...eat more beef!!!! Besides, isn't beef heavy in protein, which is thought to be healthy for you? :idea:


And OP, I am very surprised that the article was run at KSU considering the size of their agricultural program. BTW, my sis just graduated from there.

 

[FX4 SAPPER]

Personally, i dont think your industry has too much to worry about. Beef consumption especially in this country is not something most Americans are willing to do without i would think. Im all for it, i love beef and its very good for you. That article writer will die of rickets.

 

[chinchilla]

Burgers and steaks ftw

 

[txyaloo]

Personally, i dont think your industry has too much to worry about. Beef consumption especially in this country is not something most Americans are willing to do without i would think. Im all for it, i love beef and its very good for you. That article writer will die of rickets.

Our beef consumption is so high that ranchers can't keep up with it. We import quite a lot of beef yearly. Beef is also only of the only major commodities that doesn't receive direct government subsidies or payments. Almost every other commodity receives some type of direct payment, loan benefit, etc.

My family has cattle operations throughout the state running several thousand head. So, of course, my view of the beef industry is favorable.

 

[CosworthRS]

I love beef. The less people eat it. The more for me.

 

[Riddla]

I have cookouts every weekend

 

[Common]

Everything in moderation as they say. I really have a tough time believing that people will stop eating beef altogether but I do believe with the current pace of pussyfication, people will try to eat it less often due to fear mongering media/magazines that blame every second condition on bad diet and too much beef.

 

[shanezt]

my only complaint is that ALL beef should be choice or better. no one needs to suffer through the cheap stuff!

 

[gnomee2]

I don't see why I am supposed to feel better about eating plants that don't talk and have done nothing to me than I am about eating a cow that does not talk and has done nothing to me.

Last I checked both were "alive".

That aside, my only problem with the Beef industry is how many cows I see piled up stomping around in their own crap waiting to be slaughtered. I recently drove by the stock yards in Texas off of I-40 and like usual, completely shocked at how many cows they can fit inside a fenced area.

Cow Flu may be on its way

From a personal health perspective, I agree with the above. Everything should be in moderation. I don't think its healthy to eat a burger or steak for every meal every day.

 

[swoosh_stang]

You don't have to worry about me not eating beef, although, I like chicken and seafood as well.

 

[astrodudepsu]

That it's tasty.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

Someone ask LS1killer. oke:





I love Steaks, Burgers, and everything in between. :rockon:

 

[VirtualSVT]

My consumption of beef will never change. Nothing beats a bloody steak.

 

[CBrowning84]

You don't have to worry about me not eating beef, although, I like chicken and seafood as well.

+1 I love all meat. I don't discriminate!

 

[AMNick]

Mmmmm...steak....

Don't listen to the vegimites...their minds are weak from lack of proper beef intake! Just live by this motto and it will thwart their efforts: For every animal you don't eat, I'm going to eat three. :beer: