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The Beef Industry Ch. 2, Slaughterhouse Blues

From Roundup to Restructuring:. The Beef Industry Ch. 2, Slaughterhouse Blues . Branding Day on the Ranch. Branding is a communal activity on the Flying W Ranch Social event after a long winter Neighbors come together to work, eat, and share stories Take turns going to nearby farms

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The Beef Industry Ch. 2, Slaughterhouse Blues

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  1. From Roundup to Restructuring: The Beef Industry Ch. 2, Slaughterhouse Blues

  2. Branding Day on the Ranch Branding is a communal activity on the Flying W Ranch Social event after a long winter Neighbors come together to work, eat, and share stories Take turns going to nearby farms Whole families participate, everyone has a job Ranching is not a job but a way of life

  3. The Process Ropers chase calves into corral and rope them- most prestigious task Rastlers (usually children) hold calf down Branded, tagged, vaccinated, and castrated by men Workers are gentle, care about animals Calves are more frightened then harmed

  4. Transition… Technology changed the branding process Instead of today’s butane fire, ranchers used wood fire to heat the brands Instead of ear tags, numbers were carved into flesh with a knife No hormone implants were used Some outfits try to recreate these old methods

  5. The Cattle Kingdom Beef industry began in Texas, spread quickly after the Civil War Between 1866-1880 millions of cattle were driven from Texas to Kansas and other states Processed in Chicago and Eastern states 1827-Chicago’s first slaughterhouse Became prosperous with outlets through the Great Lakes, Erie Canal, and later, Rail Roads The “Yards”- could held 21,000 cattle, 22,000 sheep, 75,000 hogs

  6. Within a decade the Great Plains became dominated by free-range cattle 1874-First barbed wire in U.S- no more free-range cattle 1870s- invention of windmill and spread of irrigation systems turned S W states into a new corn belt Increased production of corn encouraged grain-fed cattle By the 20th century, the cowboy era disappeared Cattle ranching was still profitable The Cattle Kingdom

  7. Go West, Young Steer, Go West Previous to the 1900’s, cattle were not slaughtered until they were 4-5 years old, then was pushed back to 2 years Chain grocery stores of the1940’s increased demand for meat and supported the trend to “baby beef” In 1960, half the cattle on feed in the US were in the Corn Belt; shift to Plains

  8. Home on the Range: The Short, Happy Life of a Beef Cow Calves are weaned at 300 lbs. “Transient” cattle go to the prairie to fatten up before going to the feedlot They graze and eat corn stubble until they reach “feeder weight”- 600-800 lbs. Some calves are broken into trough feeding early Cattle stay in feedlots 4-5 months Slaughtered at 1,100-1,300 lbs. and are between 14-18 months old

  9. Home on the Range: The Short, Happy Life of a Beef Cow Feedlots buy cattle from ranchers, or raise them as “custom feeders” Custom Feeders are cattle boarded by feeldlots- “Bovine Hotels” Cattle are transported in 18-wheel trucks Unloaded at feedlot into metal pens holding up to 500 head Transportation of cattle causes loss in body weight- 5-6% for long hauls and 2-3% for short hauls

  10. Home on the Range: The Short, Happy Life of a Beef Cow Feedlots market cattle when they are “finished” or ready for slaughter Owners are charged either a flat rate, or a mark-up of the food and medicine that the feedlot supplies (currently $1.60/day in Kansas to board a cow)

  11. The End to a Way of Life Today, less than 2 out of 100 Americans work on farms or ranches, yet beef production is the largest part of the agricultural economy It takes 1 person to tend 1,000 head of cattle in a conventional feedlot Feedlots maximize growth rate: Cattle in a feedlot eat 24-32 lbs. & are given hormones, gaining about 3 lbs./day Feedlot cattle produce up to 30 lbs. of manure/day Manure is spread on fields to fertilize the crops or dumped into manure lagoons

  12. From Hogsheads to Disassembly Lines Urban Industry- problem of smells Industry began with packing pork in barrels for export to West Indies Technology redefined the meat packing industry with refrigeration, the railroad, and machinery (problem of preservation) Meat packing industry became dominated by corporations The “big 5”- Swift, Armour, Morris, Cudahy and Wilson --actually 3- IBP, ConAgra and Smithfield

  13. The Rise of the Meatpacking Industry Meat Packing Industry has low profit margins, must be efficient Previously butchers were skilled craftsmen, paid well Developed the production line (disassembly line) involving individual repetitive jobs and deskilling of the labor force Lowering of wages (unskilled labor) Plant capacity became the key to cutting costs; cost is cut in half switching from to 25 head to 325 head an hour production rates

  14. Drawing Conclusions Comparison between the family operated ranch and corporate owned feed lots No community No skills No relationship to the animal Just a job Degradation of environment as well as social status of workers Treatment of cattle

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