Future of the American Beef Industry (Cattle)

Beef Industry

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Challenges faced by farmers of a particular food commodity:

The future of the American beef industry (cattle)

Beef is a commodity that has literally defined the American West and thus defined American ideology for many years. But today, "in the meat industry -- beef -- you have four [processors] that control over 80% of the marketplace…it's become much, much more concentrated" (Glickman 2014). Cattle ranchers are under increasing pressure to produce more and more beef, more cheaply. Yet there is also criticism of the industry for being insufficiently concerned about its effect upon human health. Quite simply, the industry cannot survive the dual demands for inexpensive food in America and yet simultaneously meet concerns for greater safety and 'naturalness' in beef handling.

There is a rush to speed the trajectory of feedlot-to-table for calves. The faster calves are produced and the less time they spend grazing and the swifter they are eaten, the greater the profit for the rancher and processor. "More and more animals are raised on a single farm…This gives the opportunity for pathogens to spread from one animal to another. And when they are transported to slaughter, animals from many different farms may go in the same truck or the same transport freight to the slaughterhouse. Again, there's the opportunity for the exchange of these bacteria" (Taxue 2014). Cows are given antibiotics to prevent the spread of infection and also to be able to digest grain sooner than their developmental trajectory would allow. This means, "as the line speeds and the general efficiency of the slaughter plants increase, there may also be a greater opportunity for contamination to spread from one carcass to another….the industrialization of our meat supply opened up a conduit for salmonella, for campylobacter, and for E. coli O157 infections to pass through to the consumer" (Taxue 2014). It has also contributed to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, given that antibiotics are now used upon all animals -- both healthy animals as well as unhealthy animals.

The farm business model is growing increasingly unsustainable internationally. For example, in Canada, "most Canadian farmers still rely on government payments to make ends meet. The figures are telling…70 per cent of all government spending on agriculture goes toward so called 'business risk management' initiatives, which are essentially income support payments. And the bulk of those payments go to farms many experts say are too small to compete internationally" (Waldie 2012). As detailed in the documentary, Broken Harvest, families that have farmed for generations are seeing their lives disrupted as they cannot compete with subsidized agriculture in the U.S.

In the U.S., the situation is somewhat different. Although many commodities are subsidized, this does not mean all producers, particularly small producers, are all-powerful. Small cattle ranches are not. There are very large meat processors with considerable political sway in Washington D.C. But small ranchers effectively have their terms dictated to them by those producers, and they are using means such as speeding feedlot-to-table transport with practices with a dubious impact upon human health. They are also facing criticism of beef regarding its impact upon the environment, including methane emissions from cows making a contribution to global warming and the sheer amount of water and land it takes to raise a cow for beef. Although the sprawl of the west is one reason that beef has been so popular and readily-accessible in the U.S., this cannot last forever and continue to be healthy. "I suspect there are hundreds or even thousands of animals that have contributed to a single hamburger" (Taxue 2014).

One frequently-touted solution is the use of grass-fed or foraged beef, which is believed to be healthier for the consumer than beef finished unnaturally on corn to promote marbling. Grass-fed beef is leaner, is more likely to be organic and not make use of artificial hormones and antibiotics, and the husbandry method is more humane. However, it also takes much longer to bring a grass-fed cow to the table as a product, which can actually result in more rather than less environmental damage. "Finishing beef cattle by grazing forages is often touted as a 'green' or environmentally sustainable alternative to feedlot production. Nonetheless, in a comparison of a corn-based (feedlot) vs. forage-based finishing…energy use was increased 2.5-fold, and methane production and land area required per kilogram of beef produced increased by 2.8- and 12-fold, respectively, with forage-based vs. feedlot finishing. In addition to efficiency and carbon footprint issues, because of the decreased production per animal" (Galvean, Ponce, & Schultz). Grass-fed beef is also more expensive, causing many consumers on a budget to shy away from it, given that the price of food is already on the rise, relative to consumer expectations.