Us vs. the Competition
Many people go to the grocery store with the thought rarely crossing their mind on where their meat comes from. Well, in order to help people understand, let’s take a look into what goes on behind the scenes before beef is delivered to your big chain grocery stores like Walmart, Costco, King Soopers, etc. Most of the time, the beef people buy at the grocery store starts out just like it would on our ranch. The unfortunate part is that many of these animals are born in foreign countries (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and many others). Quite honestly, this would be fine if the beef was held to the same standards as the beef raised in the United States. One might ask how it is possible for beef to be brought into the U.S. if it is not held to USDA standards. This is where things go “under the table” in a manner of speaking. JBS, one of the U.S.’s largest meat packers has several locations in Brazil as well! That beef can easily be processed in Brazil one day and then flown to the U.S. to be mixed in with the rest of the inventory without anyone even batting an eye. Additionally, cattle can be imported live to the United States from foreign countries, taken to the processing plants, and a “Product of the U.S.A.” label will be placed on that piece of meat when it heads to the supermarket.
The other major difference between local producers and “big corporate” is the way the beef are processed. Since packers like JBS, Tyson, and Cargill are trying to move as much product through as they possibly can, they are only able to let the cattle “hang” (dry-age) for a maximum of two days. This is an extremely important step in the process that is getting foregone! Dry-aging beef for a 14-21 days, like what is done at smaller packing plants, allows enzymes to begin to break down the connective tissue in the meat, giving us that amazingly tender steak that we all enjoy. It also allows for any bacteria that are potentially present like E. coli and Salmonella to die off because they cannot live in a cold environment for that period of time.
This is all cause to ensure that you are buying beef as locally as you possibly can. It is important to support each other in every achievable way. Family farming and ranching operations in the United States are declining at a rapid speed. Most of this is because small ranches can’t compete with large corporate outfits like JBS, Tyson, and Cargill. This however, is one way we can. Support your local agriculturalists, as we support you in your endeavors, so that we can all provide for a healthier and happier future for years to come.
