The biggest bottleneck in the meat supply these days, is processing. That’s the word we use for slaughtering, portioning, and packaging meat. For 90% of the meat sold in the US, this is done in one of a handful of USDA-inspected facilities somewhere in Nebraska, Minnesota, or Iowa. The shortage isn’t a lack of farmers. There are plenty of cattle, pork, and chicken roaming the country.
Read MoreThe feedlot became popular in the 1950s and 60s. With soaring beef demand, surplus subsidized grain, and cheap growth hormones and antibiotics, American ranchers turned away from the millennia-old habit of raising free-range cattle on open grassland, and instead replaced it with faster, more predictable, and more profitable mechanized feedlots. The concept caught on quickly.
Read MoreYet again, cattle are considered the top cause of environmental disaster. This time, it’s rain-forest destruction. And I have to admit, the data is terrifying. Referenced accounts suggest 50-75% of all clear-cutting in Brazil goes to grazing lands. Although deforestation levels are down overall, they spiked this last year, turning 3,000 square miles into mulch.
Read MoreCattle have been scapegoated (scape-cowed) as the root of all agricultural and healthcare evils for more than half a century. Ask your circle of friends which food is most responsible for society’s downfall, and they’d probably say Bessie the cow. Progressive acquaintances often say to me apologetically, “I eat meat occasionally,” but quickly follow up with the asterisk, “just not beef.” Beef has become ground zero for what’s wrong with the planet and our American diet.
Read More
