The Idaho Statesman ran back to back front page articles recently
on what they deemed “Big Beef.” The message was solid and needs discussed, 1- the
use (overuse?) of antibiotics in beef production and 2- the questionable use of
mechanical tenderization on cuts of meat from older animals. I’m okay with the
message and believe the beef industry needs to engage in open dialogue on both
topics. What I object to is the assumption that “big beef” is bad. As if food
production shouldn’t ever get big. The beef business is not unlike other
industries that have consolidated to address economies of scale. It’s
unrealistic to expect that just because we eat it, food is exempt from the
squeezing of margins evident in other industries.
And just because business is big doesn’t mean it’s bad. The methods
that big agriculture employs mean a wider availability of affordable food for you
and your neighbors. And for the most part, animals receive excellent care on
the largest of operations. Their standard operating procedures can out pace
smaller farms and ranches in lots of positive ways.
Besides that, in beef production, big beef and family
ranches work hand in hand. It’s still the cow-calf man that provides the raw
material. Big Beef might finish, slaughter, and market our animals, but there’s
nothing big about Mom and Dad feeding cows every day in a ’68 Ford 2-ton.
Nothing big about discussing expenses under a wool quilt or strategizing at coffee
time with the crew.
I’m all for addressing the real issues - safety, integrity,
sustainability. Let’s leave rhetoric behind and get started!
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| clad in their winter coats |
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| morning routine |
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