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High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

mattstoller.substack.com

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Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#191

Post by jacobian »

b112 wrote: post #178
tsimionescu wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chicken meat and hen meat are different things. Big stores very rarely sell hen (or rooster) meat, normally only the meat of young, immature chicks is consumed, free-range or not. This is like the difference between veal and beef. The younger animal has softer meat and a different kind of fat.

I think you are all missing something, at least if discussing the US market. Growth hormomes. As an example, I've seen some US chickens as large as Canadian turkeys... So free range, may not be getting growth hormones in the feed...

This is not true. Growth hormones are not approved for us in chickens by the FDA. All chicken sold in the US is hormone free.

See, eg, https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Are-hormones-used-for-livesto...: “No steroid hormones are approved for use in poultry”

It’s certainly true that today’s meat birds are MUCH bigger than heritage breeds, but that’s a result of selective breeding, not hormones.

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#192

Post by wyager »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #39
xu3u32 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am someone who usually gets their beef from costco, small middle eastern markets and sometimes when its on sale at the neighborhood grocery store (Publix). Would you mind sharing in what ways what I'm consuming is trash compared to what comes from small farms?

I buy grass-fed beef from my neighbor. There's no difference as far as I can see. I like to support my neighbor, but there's no magic, no difference cooking, no startling color-change tricks as reported elsewhere in this thread.

We raised some lambs a couple years ago. The meat was noticeably much tastier than store-bought lamb. Don't know if this was a function of diet or freshness or what, but it was quite compelling.

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#194

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

Gustomaximus wrote: post #167
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Raising animals is definitely not a weekend hobby. It can be a hobby, but it's daily work that you really can't avoid. When people start waxing poetic about how nice it is to live "out here" and how beautiful horses are, I usually mumble something about how it's nice until it's -20F and the snow is coming down horizontally and they still have to be fed and watered. Water freezes pretty fast at -20. I'd say that the m…

At our property (small cattle farm) we rely on neighbours for the most part to get away. Pre-holiday you prep everything and someone will drop by ever day or few and throw some food and generally check on livestock. If going away for a longer period often people find a house sitter. But 100% it does take over life vs 'enjoying the view' type view of the lifestyle. Busy as it is I find it amazing. Something wholesome…

Covid reminded me how privileged I am to live where we do. While I'm reading stories about people in big cities confined to their cramped apartments, my life was actually improving. With lockdown and WFH, I didn't need to commute into the office every day and when I did travel, the roads were almost empty. Rush hour was surreal! If I got bored, I could go for a walk and not run into a single other person. And with everyone trying to keep their distance, even the parks didn't feel crowded.

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#195

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

phillypham wrote: post #157
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Holy christ. If I could $12/dozen for my eggs I'd start raising chickens again! Where are you buying those?

At Seattle and NYC farmers markets, I regularly pay $12 a dozen. The eggs are often sold out, so others are, too.

Must be nice. The main cost input to eggs is chicken feed. Assume a $15 bag will keep a dozen hens fed for a month, that's about 240 eggs (assuming 2 eggs per hen every 3 days) at a cost of $15 so about $0.06 per egg. Cost will drop significantly if chickens are kept on pasture and the labor inputs for a flock of a few dozen are minimal.

It may not be enough to live on but for a hobby, it's pretty much free money. Although I assume the market charges a stall fee that will eat into profits, but still...

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#196

Post by throwawayboise »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #39
xu3u32 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am someone who usually gets their beef from costco, small middle eastern markets and sometimes when its on sale at the neighborhood grocery store (Publix). Would you mind sharing in what ways what I'm consuming is trash compared to what comes from small farms?

I buy grass-fed beef from my neighbor. There's no difference as far as I can see. I like to support my neighbor, but there's no magic, no difference cooking, no startling color-change tricks as reported elsewhere in this thread.

Grass-fed beef will have a "gamier" taste than supermarket beef, especially if it is not "finished" by corn-feeding before slaughter. It's not bad, it's just different. If you are used to the taste of steak from the supermarket beef, which is mostly corn-fed, grass-fed "free-range" beef will taste different.

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#197

Post by novok »

gniv wrote: post #174
conradev wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. It is all in the yolks. Farm fresh eggs from happy chickens can be a nice deep yellow/orange, whereas factory eggs are usually pale yellow. Of all of the farm products discussed in the thread, eggs show the biggest difference in my opinion

Are you sure this is still true? I thought nowadays it's mostly what supplements they put in the feed. These supplements are sold exactly with this kind of promise.

There is one brand of eggs, happy egg co heritage breed that has some of the deepest color yolks I've seen with a different smell and taste. Significantly tastier. I've tried a lot of brands and price categories and haven't found ones like those.

https://happyegg.com/heritage-breed/

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#198

Post by tootie »

orang2tang wrote: post #3

This is happening to every industry. There is an obvious consolidation and massive wealth transfer still ongoing. Sickening

It's just economies of scale at play. When it comes to food it makes perfect sense. Gov policy is not about farmers, its about keeping food supply plentiful and prices low. Big Ag are better at absorbing shocks. People can complain about profits and wages because we have never had to worry about famine.

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#199

Post by throwawayboise »

phillypham wrote: post #157
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Holy christ. If I could $12/dozen for my eggs I'd start raising chickens again! Where are you buying those?

At Seattle and NYC farmers markets, I regularly pay $12 a dozen. The eggs are often sold out, so others are, too.

I don't go to the local farmer's market because it's too political, but supermarket eggs here are often under $1.00/dz (presumably sold as a loss leader) and the most expensive "certified pasture raised" eggs are about $6/dz.

Re: High beef prices and the destruction of independent cattle ranching

#200

Post by throwawayboise »

yurishimo wrote: post #108
programmertote wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly recommend you to visit third world countries and sample food from there. I grew up in Burma and have been living in the US for almost 20 years. Every time I went back to Burma, I buy milk, egg and chicken from local markets. I boil the milk and egg, and make curry out of the chicken. The milk is super creamy and if you boil it for 2-3 times, you get like 1-cm creamy foam on top. I tried the same with Costco…

If your chicken smells/tastes fishy, then it's going bad. The fat oxidization causes that smell if I'm not mistaken.

It's also likely that if it's from a big processor (e.g. Tyson) that it has been washed in bleach to kill bacteria. This may make for safer food but it certainly leaves an aftertaste.
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