Hollenbeck: THE BEEF ABOUT BEEF
First it was eggs and now beef is getting a bad rap, especially regarding the cost of it. The cost of cattle has gone up to where the rancher can almost see a profit and consequently the cost of beef in the grocery store has also gone up. Because this area lies right square in the heart of the cattle country and my husband is a third generation rancher, I think I have a better grip on the industry than people in Washington D.C., or the general news media as far as that goes, so my opinion differs. When egg prices sky-rocketed, all we heard was negative and mostly ignorant reasons why, when the real reason was due to a supply shortage as a result of millions of laying hens dying and being euthanized because of the Bird Flu. Most commodity prices are determined by the “supply and demand” theory, and beef is no different.
There is a big difference in the pricing of beef and that of eggs or many other grocery items, and all of us in this region understand that. When hens are producing eggs, the eggs are sorted, boxed in cartons, and head to the grocery store shelves. When most types of produce, such as a melons and fruits, are ripe, they are picked and they too are ready for sale. Items such as honey, syrup, peanut butter, vinegar and so on, go through a certain type of processing and packaging before being sold to the public, but beef? Now that is a whole different story.
There is a tremendous amount of money invested in pasture, feed, equipment, facilities, and breeding stock before that first calf is born. Many calves do not survive the birth or first days afterwards, and sometimes the cow itself does not survive the birth process. This certainly takes the “p out of profit.”
A lot of sleepless nights, feed and care go into the calving process; then some time in the spring those calves are castrated, vaccinated and branded to accompany their mother cows to summer pasture. Not only has a lot of money been spent on their care thus far, but special mineral and salt tubs have to be purchased and made available. Whether you own the pasture or lease it, a considerable amount of money is put forth in either rent or taxes. Did I mention the cost of getting pastures ready? The cost of fencing supplies is out-of-sight, and keeps getting higher what seems like on a daily basis. Windmills and water supply has to be ready and sometimes thousands of dollars are spent on that. Then after the cattle are summer-grazing, haying begins so as to provide feed for the upcoming winter, and thousands and thousands of dollars are spent on raising feed and the harvesting of same. I could fill pages if I listed just some of the expenses involved until the cows come home in the fall when calves are weaned and eventually sold.
It is disheartening for us actually involved in the cattle industry to hear all the whining about the cost of a pound of hamburger, while you hear not one word about the value of that pound. Actually, you can easily feed a family of four with a pound of hamburger, whether you grill four quarter-pound burgers, make any number of casseroles, cook a batch of chili, and so forth. The same people complaining think nothing about eating out (most of their meals), spending $10 on a cup of gourmet coffee, attending concerts and sporting events where tickets are never under $100 each, and of course, going to a high-dollar restaurant for dinner or staying in a $200.00 + per night hotel, but those same people seem to have a “Beef about Beef.”
