Farm to Fork

COMPANY COMPA PROFILE and ndd

ANNUA ANNUAL RE REPO REPORT R EPOR EPO EP PO PO ORT RT

Beefville Be Beefville, B e f vi v le, all a l l th ll t things h ings ngs ng

beef.

a b u r g e r i s n’ t j u s t

A BURGER.

REBECCA SOJA The Meat You Haven’t Met Undergraduate Thesis

Syracuse University School of Architecture advisors: Sekou Cooke Terrance Goode Sinead MacNamara PRODUCED BY

Beefville, all things

beef.

c o r p o r a t i o n

printed by

GREEN-WASH PUBLISHERS

“committed te to improving your ecological hoofprint.”

letter from the CEO

a burger isn’t just a burger

f

ood is a complex part of our everyday lives because it is necessary for sustenance, but it has also become highly commercialized and turned into commodity food stuff. Like energy or water, food is one of those things many people take for granted. And, unless you are a vegetarian or vegan, meat is a commonplace thing in your life. People don’t need to worry about where their food really comes from because other ideals of convenience, affordability, or taste have been taken care of behind the scenes by industry-dominating beef producers. They have a product to sell and humans need it, so the current trends continue. Production always ends with consumption.

Technologies and innovations that arose out of industrial mass production methods and war time technologies during the twentieth century led to the present conventional food system.

All of this was seen as progress, but no one could have really predicted how unsustainable these practices are. As a result, there are lessons to be learned and revisions to be made. Of course, this isn’t simple. The obstacles are many from redesigning actual procedures to reshaping attitudes of the public.

However, when the main objective is monetary and profits are in the billions, why should beef change for the sake of public health, the environment, or community values?

It wasn’t until more recently that people have become increasingly concerned about where their food comes from.

There is a food movement rising. This is comprised of multi-dimensional social movements aimed at bringing about a food system that will provide healthier diets, greater well-being and livelihood, more robust agro-ecologies, and more opportunities to forge and renew social ties. This goes beyond changing consumption choices at an individual level, and instead addresses structural injustices at a foundational level. A diverse range of issues from labor

reform to environmental stewardship, to food access, are unified through critiques of industrial food. It involves not only rigorous research and analysis, but also encouraging alternative food networks that use food as a tool for positive change in many dimensions.

Efforts expose contradictions within the agro-industrial food system and that makes them a threat. There is tremendous demand for greater transparency in the food system, but currently there is so much information that remains concealed.

Agribusinesses often use the tactic of greenwashing to clean up their corporate images. Any producer of a commercial product will use strategies to market their product to entice consumers. In beef production, this also involves deception through imagery and nostalgic associations with Americana and old-time values.

Reverting back to traditional means and scales of production may in fact be part of the solution towards sustainability, but that would be too easy.

Part of the problem is that despite raised awareness, consumers are more distanced from a relationship with food than ever and our appetites are bigger than ever. If there is ample cheap

meat someone has to eat it right?

There is an unavoidable link between beef production and consumption; the production has shaped our excessive cultural consumption of meat, which in turn fuels more demand for production. The outcome is not a transparent food system when corporations will tell you what you want to hear, even if it’s not the total reality. Additionally, architects usually design the programs of consumption, while engineers are left to deal with the engrained efficiency of production.

This in itself is problematic because the consumption and production are designed with interrelated motives, but completely different design approaches. Yet ironically, all of this works in a commercialized society of deception and perception.

Ultimately, a burger is so much more than just a burger. It is the outcome of a well-oiled series of processes.

We understand a burger starts as a cow, but the food chain is part of a complicated, messy network that isn’t easy to digest. Where can architecture designed for consumption intersect with earlier phases of production and processing to have agency in creating the transparent food system people really want?

2014 01

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a b u r g e r i s n’ t j u s t

A BURGER.

learn more at:

www.beefvilleusa.com

02

The magazine of articles telling you EVERYTHING you need to know about the beef you eat.

An annual report containing the company profile, statistics, and reviews of industry progress.

Brochures, advertisements, and maps promoting the Beefville, USA Transparency Tour.

This book is a compilation of the many contradictions of an industrialized beef industry that shapes our excessive cultural consumption of meat. Topics such as air quality, waste management, treatment of animals, or worker conditions are covered. Instead of presenting extensive research in a more straight-forward book layout with chapters and photographs or diagrams, the magazine already begins to critique the exploitive nature of conventional food system tactics. One may have to sift through for certain information, but that’s kind of the point. At first glance, illustrations, advertisements, and bolded text appear to be positive, encouraging the reader to eat meat without worry or concern. A graphic design template sets a tone of freshness, sustainability, and old-time values, perhaps words one would associate with a bucolic farm. However, upon further inspection, the body of the text reveals the hidden distasteful realities of the big beef industry providing people with cheap meat. This subtle sarcasm subversively undermines the system while seemingly supporting its continuation, serving as a metaphor of how industrial beef’s unsustainable practices for profit are paradoxically symptoms of the industry’s inevitable demise. This also sets a tone of sarcastic underpinnings driving the following phases of the project.

This book also inserts key research points through text, diagrams, and charts, but is formatted as a publication that profiles a fictional beef producer: Beefville, U.S.A. Corporation. It represents all beef production in the United States and serves as the foundation for the following phase which is to design a transparency tour of architectural interventions. Through greenwashing, the corporation strives to gain support from wary consumers and protesters in order to continue operating at a massive scale. Like in the magazine, myths of what the beef industry wants consumers to believe are juxtaposed with the reality. The first step is to present the benefits of conventional beef and the strides that have been made towards a sustainable future. The corporation must form a convincing image of trustworthiness, responsibility, and morals. Emphasis is placed on targeting notions of Americana- the hard-working cowboy or farmer, vast stretches of land with roaming cattle and rows of corn, or the convenient fast-food joint or the distinguished steakhouse restaurant that are romanticized aspects of American life. Also included is an overview of each of the seven determined phases of the beef food chain starting with cow-calf operations and ending with the steakhouse restaurant. In this documentation, architectural elements and spatial qualities are identified to later be manipulated or tranformed as components of the transparency tour.

Areas of intervention are suggested that will contribute to a revealing experience.

Employing a strategy of transparency through conealment, which amplifies current industry marketing strategies to cover up flaws to subversively undermine the system, a sarcastic campaign of a transparency tour for the fictional corporation Beefville, U.S.A. is devised. A tourguide map and series of brochures advertise and promote the amusing and enlightening experience. This tour has the intention of gaining consumer loyalty and support for industrial beef by implying consumers will be more willing to buy beef products if they know more about how and where they are made.

Perceived obstacles preventing transparency would deceptively be removed. In other words, it would be a greenwashing campaign that sets up an experience rooted in positive messages, but still conceals the complete truth. As the architect of this experience, the objective is to take on the task of creating a better corporate image to fulfill the primary requests of the corporation. However, this will be done with sarcastic interventions that through concealment, only amplify the problems because the experience is so outrageous and ridiculous no one would ever believe it. Ultimately, this design phase would critique existing conditions and methods in which architecture and geographies, when combined with politics and culture, enable the conventional food system.

Therefore, this phase is all about exposing through designed scenarios and environments.

contents 04

our history tradition | progress | legacy

06

values that matter we value what consumers value because it’s important

10

the right approach striving for progress + maintaining industry integrity

14

federal support government subsidies help all of us save more moolah

16

7 phases of the beef food chain from cattle to beef

50

topping the charts the proof is in the numbers

03

~ 10,000 B.C.E.

1890-1930

1926

settlement invention of argriculture domestification of animals

30 million people immigrate to the United States

USDA establishes standards for carcass grading

1611

early 1900s

1920s-1930s

cattle are brought to the first English Colony in America at Jamestown

adoption of synthetic fertilizers based on petrochemicals

trucks, tractors, and equipment replace cattle, horses, plows, etc.

1800

1906

1930s

start of the Industrial Revolution

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

Great Depression government programs to assist farmers

1870s

Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

railroad networks allow meatpacking to move westward

first Federal Meat Inspection Act

1880

1920s

mechanical refrigeration and insulated rooms come into use

1889

growth of industrial animal farming; realization that adding vitamins A and D to feed rations allows producers to keep animals inside year-round to channel energy into rapid growth

meat plants use mechanized disassembly and conveyor procedures

1922 The National Livestock and Meat Board is founded as a cooperative effort by producers and packers to promote meat

OUR HISTORY

tradition progress legacy 04

1931 USDA Animal Damage Control Program established to eradicate, suppress, and control wildlife considered to be detrimental to western livestock industry

1933 first farm bill passed (now passed by Congress every 5 years) Agricultural Adjustment Act

1940s start to use hybrid seeds increase production for war effort pesticides and herbicides adopted from wartime technology post-war surpluses

mid 1940s-1950s

1967

1994

subsidized corn

introduction of boxed beef product by IBP

first GMO - the flavor savor tomato

1969

2002

E. Coli outbreak linked to ground beef at McDonald’s

launch of McDonald’s dollar menu

1970s

2003

rapid geographic concentration and centralization of the beef industry

mad cow disease crashes the market

advent of the commercial feedlot

post WWII confinement methods lead to cattle mortality and disease outbreaks; develop antibiotics to add to animals’ water and feed

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights opening of the original McDonald’s antibiotic Aureomycin is discovered, improving animal health and nutrition to assist confinement operations

1955 second McDonald’s opens as start of fast-food chain restaurant enterprise

2004 1978 retail market for beef impacted by the introduction of two brands: Certified Angus Beef and Coleman Natural Beef; now have over 100 brands both certified and not approved by USDA

1980s emergence of the term globalization

1988

1956

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) founded

Eisenhower signs the Federal -Aid Highway Act of 1956 (state of interstate highway system)

opening of 10,000th McDonald’s (today over 35,000 restaurants worldwide)

1961

1993

new slaughterhouses use “chain” to move cattle along disassembly line instead of gravity

E. Coli outbreak

mapping of bovine genome completed

1978 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report states that livestock sector accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions

2050 global consumption of meat set to double

Meat Industry VS USDA lawsuit 05

VALUES that

MATTER we value what consumers value because it’s important.

i

t’s quite rare for a corporation (or any given person or entity for that matter) to admit its faults. To many this is seen as a weakness, especially when critical relationships are at stake.

Often, corporations want others to see them as the ‘good guys’ because opinions about their reputation influence future success. This reputation and is shaped by core values.

Corporate values are the operating philosophies or principles that guide a company’s internal conduct as well as its relationships with customers, partners, and shareholders. Therefore, values not only summarize how a company says it will act or behave in acheiving its objectives, but also how others expect or want the company to act and behave when achieving its goals or providing a service. Different people value different things. These could be objects, ideas, or morals that have significant monetary, spiritual, physiological, or other meaning. When values are shared or understood, this creates trust, respect, and admiration.

The beef industry values a range of things. At the forefront for any company in a capitalist economy is profit. Profits indicate the ability to sell products.

As a result, producers depend on factors like output, efficiency/time,

06

quality, and branding to surpass competitors. Current methods also value inputs like petroleum, or corn, soy, and alfalfa for feeds, or antibiotics in order to operate to accomplish these standards. The things that consumers value also need to be considered, in part because of ethics and doing what is right, but also in part to boost sales. The pre-occupied consumer values affordability, accessability, and convenience. This aligns with a lot of the industry’s initiatives. Speed and optimization realized through a rational mindset lead to more cheap meat.

Meat producers can also develop more products to peak the curiousity of consumers or make their lives simpler.

However concerned consumers also care about issues like public health, the environment, and animal welfare, which don’t always correspond with the other core values. But, because these values are moral and benefit others, they are emphasized by corporations, even if not prioitized in operations to gain a solid, reliable reputation. Consequently, consumers are lied to or given distorted information that they believe to be true, which is a major obstacle in realizing a transparent food system.

However, part of the dilemma is also that the things the beef industry do and should value are in opposition.

There are leaders in the industry who do care about providing safe food, fulfilling environmental stewardship, or supporting local communities, but there are challenges in a complex society driven by commodities and an even more complex food system that prevent beef corporations from dedicating full attention to such causes.

The same is true of the consumers.

We may have certain values, but that doesn’t mean we always follow them.

Consumer sovereignty is the idea that in a capitalist culture, consumers should and do make their own free consumption choices based on a number of criteria. It suggests that if people “vote with their forks” the food system will reflect what consumers chose to eat/buy by giving them more of what they demand. However, not everyone can eat according to their values because of costs, time, knowledge, access, and disparities, so the concept of actual consumer sovereignty becomes an impossible utopian luxury. Additionally, consumer sovereignty puts pressure on the individual to make changes, rather than holding larger entities accountable. The leading beef producers are not perfect; they can impact change, but they need to follow through with their core values and own up to their mistakes.

What’s at

?

[STEAK]

we believe it is our commitment to...

CREATE WEALTH THROUGH PROFIT AND GROWTH

PROVIDE the HIGHEST QUALITY, HEALTHFUL BEEF PRODUCTS

ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY

PRACTICE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

SUPPORT AND EDUCATE LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNITIES

PROMOTE ANIMAL WELFARE

TREAT WORKERS WITH RESPECT AND FOSTER OPPORTUNITIES

IMPROVE FOOD ACCESS AS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT

07

values really do matter.

MAKING A

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two

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quality

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C A PACI PAC I T Y CA

calving ease

BEEF

POWERFULLY ENGINEERED FOR SUCCESS

THE FUTURE OF CATTLE BREEDING

Cows are social and intellectual creatures that form relationships and are highly in tune with their surroundings. Slaughterhouse designs by people like Temple Grandin attempt to recognize this, but often times industrialized processes overlook this fact at the expense of the animals’ well-being and nature itself. Instead, producers rely on breeding and biotechnology to combat fickle nature so that it can fit within a highly regulated, production process. Cows are viewed as mechanical robots that can be programmed and controlled to fulfill a pre-determined destiny.

Uncertainty can not be at risk when profits are at stake.

08

Cows are social and intellectual creatures that form relationships and are highly in tune with their surroundings.

Slaughterhouse designs by people like Temple Grandin attempt to recognize this, but often times industrialized processes overlook this fact at the expense of the animals’ well-being and nature itself.

Instead, producers rely on breeding and biotechnology to combat fickle nature so that it can fit within a highly regulated, production process.

Cows are viewed as mechanical robots that can be programmed and controlled to fulfill a pre-determined destiny.

Uncertainty can not be at risk when profits are at stake.

Resisting the

antibiotic antib biotic b iotic Resistance Resi stance

BY U S I N G MOR E A N T I BIOT I C S

Without antibiotics, animals are extremely susceptible to disease when enduring the crowded, stressful, dirty, unfamiliar, and unnatural conditions of confinement. These antibiotics not only impact animals, but also have the potential to mutate into superbugs that can infiltrate human food sources that our antibiotics and immune systems will no longer be able to battle. Antibiotics are a means to continue industrial trends rather than confront the real issues with the food system that need to be addressed.

--- 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted as urine or manure which may be used instead of chemical fertilizers on organic farms, transfering antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria to the fresh produce humans eat too. While hightemperature composting is required, testing for drugs by USDA standards is not.

Without are extre disease crowded unfamili conditio These an impact a have the mutate can infil sources and imm longer b Antibiot continu rather th real issu system t addresse antibiot are excr manure instead fertilizer transferi antibiot to the fr humans high-tem compos testing f standard

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CHANGE

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four Industrial beef producers cut costs and maximize efficiency which results in the conventional hamburger. This could be the patties at a fast-food chain empire like McDonald’s or the ground beef at the grocery store.

Basically, if you don’t know where the beef comes from, it’s mystery meat - blended from various grades of ground meat (fresh, frozen, lean, fatty), from different parts of different cows, from different slaughterhouses, from different states and countries. These disclosures and subsidies from the government for grains for animal feeds or factory farm clean up keep meat cheap.

How else could a profit be made from a $1 hamburger?

Small farms don’t receive this preferential treatment so they can’t compete. The reality is: industrial food is convenient and affordable initially, but in the long run it certainly is not cheap.

With just under 100 million cattle and calves in the U.S. alone, there is a lot of manure to deal with. Due to the specialization of CAFOs that only ‘grow’ cattle, the ecological benefits of manure are worthless, leaving producers with more manure than they know what to do with. Various methods have been adopted to store, utilize, and decompose manure, but such efforts are still insufficient as the manure piles up and has detrimental consequences for air, water, and soil that harms ecologies and local communities. The absence of strict government regulation enables lackadaisical waste management or disposal. As a result, factory farms are not held accountable for monitoring, cleaning up, and disposing of their waste. Beef stays cheap, but other costs begin to add up.

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Anatomy Of A Hamburger

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lean finely textured beef

1/2 fat, 1/2 meat trimmings from whole cuts of meat

ground meat from non-productive dairy cows or old bulls culled from feedlots

trimmings from grass-fed cattle

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Industrial beef producers cut costs and maximize efficiency which results in the conventional hamburger. This could be the patties at a fast-food chain empire like McDonald’s or the ground beef at the grocery store. Basically, if you don’t know where the beef comes from, it’s mystery meat - blended from various grades of ground meat (fresh, frozen, lean, fatty), from different parts of different cows, from different slaughterhouses, from different states and countries. These disclosures and subsidies from the government for grains for animal feeds or factory farm clean up keep meat cheap. How else could a profit be made from a $1 hamburger? Small farms don’t receive this preferential treatment so they can’t compete. The reality is: industrial food is convenient and affordable initially, but in the long run it certainly is not cheap.

09

THE

APPROACH STRIVING FOR PROGRESS AND MAINTAINING INDUSTRY INTEGRITY

a winning combination of ideologies, attitudes, & methods proven for success.

10

conventionalization AUGMENTING SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES DEMANDED BY THE CONSUMER. Conventionalization is the process through which an alternative food value chain increasingly becomes only a slightly different version of an industrial one. An alternative may be more sustainable, but as it expands in response to consumer demands, the alternative must also operate at a monstrous scale, employing strategies similar to industrial food production and losing sight of initial goals for sustainability. In the beef industry the clear exemplar is grass-fed beef. On a small, diversified farm grass-fed beef makes a lot of sense ecologically. However once that operation is scaled up issues of deforestation and overgrazing are unavoidable. Grass-fed beef also has cons. The problem at present isn’t necessarily how the beef is produced, but how much beef is produced. A lot of blame is allotted to production, but consumption habits are just as culpable. Billions of cattle are slaughtered each year to feed greedy appetites around the globe. Making even slight changes to reduce consumption would positively impact health care, energy use, and climate change. Reform is not the augmentation of opposition for continuation, but the implementation of policies, practices, and networks that seek to transform the world through food, not only transform the world of food.

modernist INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY AS DRIVERS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS. This is one of the ideologies of industrial production that has been adapted to food production. It uses conventional science and technology as a fundamental driver of social and economic progress, which is viewed as positive and inevitable. The main objectives are to control nature and humanity which can be fickle and hinder such progress. However, one of the downfalls of this perspective is a disassociation with the past in favor of continual advancement to address current needs which has led to numerous issues and contradictions. These problems, here with attention to beef production, should be contextualized with history to recognize levers of change which requires a lot more than science.

PRODUCTIVIST A RELENTLESS PURSUIT TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND OUTPUT TO BENEFIT ALL. This ideology of industrial production adapted to food production focuses on a relentless pursuit to increase efficiency and output which is assumed to benefit everyone. For example, one of the main justifications for industrial beef is that it has the capacity to feed the world’s growing population. However, as statistics show, many still suffer from hunger or inadequate food access, especially in the United States where there is ample meat produced. There are still inequalities in consumption even though consumption rates have risen considerably due to the affordability of cheap meat. As contradictions like these are revealed, industrial food production can no longer be justified in the same way it was glorified after the Industrial Revolution as negative consequences and impending costs to the environment, public health, and community vigor become more publicly apparent.

11

SPECIALIZATION EXPERTS IN THE BEEF CATTLE BUSINESS FOR GENERATIONS. This is a pressing production shift that abandons diverse farming systems in favor of monocultures (single crops). It is assumed to help optimize yields and efficiency (often for less money) because each crop (in this case cattle) requires special machinery, nutrients, resources, and ideal climate. In the beef industry, the supply chain is further divided with different operations or facilities that specialize in a certain step such as breeding and birthing, growing crops for cattle feeds, finishing the ‘growing’ of cattle on feedlots, transporting animals, or slaughtering animals and processing their carcasses. Each of these steps occurs in a kind of chronology and they are explicitly linked, but are ironically somewhat independent. Despite greater production and regulation, specialization eliminates natural ecologies, consequently becoming dependent on synthetic inputs. For example, symbiotic relationships that would enhance pest control, soil quality, and waste management by raising cows on pasture for their whole lives are ignored with CAFOs where cattle are fed unnatural grain diets and require antibiotics. These practices are overused, further amplifying problems like antibiotic resistance, eutrophication, acute or chronic health effects for humans, or the inadvertent killing of other species. Methodologies lose their effectiveness, which leads to a demand for new scientific technology and manipulation to improve upon techniques or the genetic make-up of cattle to resist these hostile outcomes that we’ve created ourselves.

CONSOLIDATION & CONCENTRATION FEWER AND LARGER OPERATIONS WITH GAINED EFFICIENCY AND GREATER OUTPUT. Consolidation occurs when operations grow larger to capitalize on economies of scale to gain the efficiency and greater output that comes from working at a larger scale. It is a trend towards fewer and bigger operations that come to monopolize sectors of production. Concentration occurs when a small number of corporations control most of the sales in an industry.

Small, family-operated farms still exist, but they suffer in a capitalized economy that favors well-financed agribusinesses that turn out more beef at a cheaper price. The beef industry is a strong example of both concepts, rapidly consolidating in the 1970s and becoming concentrated in particular regions of the United States with centralized operations. Today, the four top producers control about 85% of the market. These huge corporations either shut down or take over smaller operations who can’t compete to maintain dominance. A great example is JBS, who buys out beef packing plants that are struggling to enforce their own methods for efficiency to upturn profits. All of this supports the industrial-minded production of abundant, cheap, often processed or unhealthy meat and excessive consumption rates.

INTEGRATION VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY. There are two trending methods of consolidation and concentration: vertical and horizontal integration. Vertical integration is when corporations merge at multiple stages along the beef supply chain to form one big conglomerate that manages multiple phases of production. Therefore, one company may oversee cow/calf operations, feedlots, transportation, slaughter, and processing. In comparison, horizontal integration merges several corporations involved in the beef industry at the same level of production into a single corporation. For example, the owner of one feedlot operation may take over five other feedlot operations to expand, but it wouldn’t be concerned with other processes like breeding or slaughter that occur before and after that phase. Additionally, vertical and horizontal integration can happen in the same sector. This further enables the leading corporations to wield power and influence industry trends to maintain that power. Again, this supports the production and consumption of abundant, cheap meat that has expensive consequences for other parties.

12

APPROPRIATIONISM PRODUCING MORE THAN BEEF TO STRENGTHEN THE FOOD SYSTEM. Appropriationism is the selling of inputs formerly produced on a farm such as fertilizer or seeds, or machinery to replace manual/animal labor. The excessive amounts of manure produced by thousands of cows confined on feedlots is sold as fertilizer for pastureland or crops, but this manure contains antibiotics, pathogens, and chemicals that can be toxic for human consumption. Cattle with superior genetic traits are valued; a cow’s embryos or a bull’s semen with sperm can be collected, stored, and sold for artificial insemination in breeding programs. With tractors and other machines, cattle are also no longer needed to do manual labor so they can be used exclusively for milk or meat production. Nearly every component of agricultural production is becoming a commodity. In this way, the biological constraints of food production are capitalized on for profit through the application of science and technology so that corporations can avoid some of the inherent risks of doing the farming themselves. Other parties become dependent on these inputs or risk losing profits just to earn a decent living because otherwise they can’t compete at all. This helps to explain how corporations have exerted so much economic power in the beef food chain.

SUBSTITUTIONISM CREATING MORE OPTIONS TO SATISFY OUR CONSUMERS. Substitutionism is the reduction of an agricultural input to a simple, exchangeable industrial input. This means synthetic additives during processing can increase shelf-life or enhance taste or nutritional quality that can not be achieved through farm production alone and requires industry. There is a noticeable difference between the hamburger one eats at McDonald’s and the hamburger one purchases from the butcher at the grocery store and grills himself. The first is clearly more processed and is situated within a different context. Science and technology manipulate natural elements, resulting in highly processed food commodities to meet consumer demands for convenience, health, taste, etc.

RISK ASSESSMENT QUANTIFYING RISK IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY. There are two common approaches to environmental uncertainty: the precautionary approach and the risk assessment approach. The first approach is popular in Europe; it is the notion that new technology, methods, or products should be seen as risky until proven safe. In comparison, the risk assessment approach used in the United States relies on a basic assumption that some risk is acceptable. It involves a process of quantifying the probability of a harmful effect to individuals or populations from certain human activity. As long as there are no dangerous, widespread threats posed by beef production, producers will continue to market beef until conditions get so bad (like a massive viral outbreak) that they are forced to pull the plug. A lot of the current industrial strategies for producing beef at a tremendous scale remain in action because their ramifications were not immediately perceived. It has taken decades for researchers, scientists, environmentalists, doctors, etc. to realize the detrimental implications of industrial beef production. The environment and public health are in jeopardy in large part due to meat production. Now we must respond and implement strategies that remediate and recover for a sustainable future.

13

by purchasing corn and soy at prices below production cost due to government subsidy policies

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The federal government supports foods we shouldn’t be eating and means of production that aren’t sustainable. Industrial beef producers don’t necessarily out-compete, they just get preferential treatment compared to small farms (non-factory farms) that don’t get federal funding.

$246 BILLION

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United States Department of Agriculture

Occupational Safety & Health Administration

American Meat Institute

The federal executive board responsible for developing and executing federal policies on farming, agriculture, forestry, and food.

The primary federal agency in the United States Department of Labor responsible for enforcing safety and health legislation to ensure good working conditions for men and women.

The oldest and largest trade association representing the US meat and poultry industry.

Tasks of the USDA are many and varied.

It covers a lot of ground, influencing several aspects of our daily lives, even externalities that affect us indirectly.

The department’s stated mission is to “provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.”

The range of goals, from expanding economic opportunity, especially in rural America, to promoting sustainable agricultural practices, or increasing access to healthful and safe food, results in competing motives and objectives.

The USDA is responsible for meat safety, but also increasing meat sales. It impacts the retail market by certifying various brands, plus it is in charge of the grading program established in the 1920s that categorizes cuts of beef as standard, prime, choice, or select based on the quality of marbling and fat content- something completely unrelated to health and nutrition. Beef may be inspected for pathogens, but that doesn’t mean it won’t lead to other chronic diseases caused by saturated fats and calories. Essentially, the USDA is interested in keeping beef cheap, which may go against efforts for sustainability or protecting public health. Overall, there is inadequate regulation and industrial beef producers are protected from liability because of their friends in the upper tiers of the USDA.

http://www.usda.gov/

The agency is accountable for imposing its standards as it carries out inspections and gives fines for regulatory violations.

However, unfair and dangerous work conditions still exist, particularly in the food system. For example, meat packing workers who perform extremely dangerous tasks along fast-moving production lines endure severe physical injuries, cumulative trauma, and psychological disorders.

Meat packing corporations often don’t adhere to OSHA standards and OSHA is not powerful enough to frighten them into complying. The fine for the death of a worker is $70,000, which is a marginal sum for corporations making tens of billions of dollars per year. Employers also manipulate and terrify workers to reduce their health benefits. Additionally, many injuries are dismissed or covered up as workers are forced to get back on the factory floor before fully recovering. Even though meat packing companies insist on having sincere interest in the wellbeing of workers, these are just empty words. Insufficient and enabling laws, as well as lack of public awareness, allow such abuse and inequity to continue.

The government should play a greater role in drafting policies that protect workers from such suffering.

https://www.osha.gov/

The trade association provides leadership to advance the interests of America’s meat and poultry packing and processing companies. It informs members of legislation, regulations, and media activity that impact the beef industry and conducts scientific research to improve facilities and products. Members include both large and small producers. Because the AMI represents nearly all beef producers, it is the voice of the industry.

It declares what issues are important to the industry, shedding a positive light on the industry as a whole even if not all members actually practice what is being preached. Industry issues include: animal health/welfare, business economics, the environment, food safety and inspection, health and wellness, international trade, and workforce employment and safety.

However, for example, even though the AMI may make a claim such as the beef industry is “committed to being good stewards of the environment in which they operate”, this is not the whole truth. Clearly, industrial beef production is harmful to the environment and ecologies; such a claim distorts the reality of the situation, which is that while big beef producers may care about the environment, it is not on the top of their priorities list. The industry may comply with regulations and legislation like the Food Safety Act or the Clean Water Act, but that’s only because they have to.

http://www.meatami.com/ 15

7 s e s a ph

COW-CALF OPERATION

16

LE LIVE CATT AUCTION

of the

BE

FO CH

CATTLE FEEDLOT

PACKI PLAN

F E E

D O O N I HA

ING NT

GROCERY STORE

FAST FOOD NT RESTAURA

SE STEAKHOU NT RESTAURA

17

transportation & storage

wastes

w

distribution

PRODUCTION

PROCE

raising animals raw ingredients

inputs

inputs

3

1 2 18

4

wastes

transportation & storage

wastes

distribution branding & selling

marketing

ESSING

CONSUMPTION

transformation of cattle and other raw ingredients into products

preparing, eating, & using

inputs

5 6 7 19

cow-calf operations

live auctions

TOP 15 (National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc.)

(locations based off Winter Livestock Auction)

feedlots

beef pack

TOP 15 (National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc.)

TOP 10 (National C

Beefville [

Agri-Bee -Bee eef Co o.. o Agri-Beef Co. Agri Agr Ag g Beef Co.

with spo

J.R. R. Sim Simplot mplot Co. Koch Argricultural Arg gricultural Co. g

P Padlock Pa k Ranch h Company mpany

J.R. Simplot ot Co.

15

Padlock Ra Ranch anch Company

190 J.R. Simpl Simplot lot Co. o.

J.R. Simplo ot Co. Simplot

Blair Bros.

Ranch B la B lair Bro os. Ra anch

Livestock Duane ne Martin Marttin n Livestoc ck

Co. Agri Beef Co o. o Four Sta tates Feedyard Inc. States

True Ranches Tr rue Ran Ra an nches LLC JBS LLC JJB BS BS Five ive ve Rivers, R

J.R. Simp plot Co. p Simplot JBS JB Beeff Co.

J.R. Simp plot Co. p Simplot

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Silv ver Spur R Ranc anc n h Silver Ranch Opplige ge err Fee e Feed yard, IInc. Oppliger Feedyard,

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Cargill Meat M Solutions Solutio ons ons

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G ottsch C Cattle Co. o..

Gottsch

JJBS BS Five Riv BS Rivers, iv vers, LLC C Monfort M Monf Monfo orrtt Bee Be Beef eff

F Fo Foot t Cattle Co. Foote

JBS Beef Co.

Silver Spur Silve ilve err Spu S ur Ranch u R

Greeley,AgriColorado Bee ef Co. e Beef

Duane Martin M Livestock

5

Four Stat ates Feedyard eedyard ar Inc. ar States Cargill Meat M Solutions

Ca argill arg ar r M Cargill Meat Solutions

Innovati vativ va ve Livestock Services Inc. Innovative

JJBS BS Five e Rivers, LLC

C

Cargill Cattle Ca Catttle Feeders ders Co. Natio Nati Nationa Nationall Beef eff Packing Co.

Cactus Cactu actu uss Feede u Fee Feed Feeders ed rs

Harris iss Ranch Ra an nch h

Irsik & Doll Fee Fe Feed d Servic Services e es

St Sta t tes es Fee edyard yard Inc. Inc Four S States Feedyard

LIVE CATTLE

Koch A

Foods, Tyson Fo oods, Inc. o

25

Cattle eE Empire mpi pire LL LLC C

Winter Liv Carg Cargill argill rgi gi Mea gi Mea

AzTz Cat ttle Co. Cattle

Monfor n rrt Beef Monfort

JBS BS Five e Rivers, LLC

D

JBS Five e Rivers, LLC

BS Five Five Rivers, Rivers, R ss,, LLC JBS Cargill rgill gill illl C Cattle Cattlle Feeders Co.

CATTLE FEEDLOT

illlll Meat M S So olution ns Cargill Solutions

Opp pligerr Feedyard, p ard ard, rd Inc. rd, Oppliger

FAST-FOOD RESTAURANT

Caviness Beef Packers C Cavin Cavine avine a vine vin v ine in esss Be B e eef ef P Pa cker cke ckers Friona Frio rio ri iona on o Industries Ind dustr es L.P. L.P .P.

McDonalds

Cactus Feeders Cactus, Texas

Tyson Tyso on Foods Foods, s,, Inc.

San Bernardino, California

JBS BS Beef BS Be B eeff Co Co. o.

AzTz Ca atttle Co. Cattle

BS S Beef Be B e eff Co. C JBS Silver Sp Spur pur Ranch p h Pinal Fee edyar e d ard arrd, Inc. I c Inc Feedyard,

27

e Rivers, Rive ers rs, s,, LLC L LL L JBS Five

10

GR

Kin R King Ranch Ran ch h

Sam am Kane B am Beef Bee Be e Pr

Parker Parke Par arker Ranch Ra anch

20

king operations

grocery stores

Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc.)

fast-food (McDonalds)

clusters determined with Google Earth

e, U . S . A .

otlight locations ]

clusters determined with Google Earth

steakhouse restaurants

MAP

clusters determined with Google Earth

American Foods Am ood dss Groups d

90

43 Beef JBS Bee ef Co. e Co. JBS S Bee Be Beef eef C ee eef o o.

STEAKHOUSE

JBS Be B Beef e f Co. Co

Peter Luger

180

Brooklyn, New York

Tyson Foods, Ty ysson F y Fo oods, Inc. nc. nc

S i Services Inc.

ater Omaha Packing Co.. maha ah Pa ah cking C Co

865

National Beef eef eff P Pa Packing cking king ng C Co Co. o..

Tyson T Ty Tyso Tys yso yson on n Food F Foods, ood ds, s In Inc.

Car Carg Ca Cargill C argill ar argil rgi gii C g gill Cattle atttle eF Feeders eeders ers rss C Co. o. o

AUCTION

Argricultural Argric iculturall Co. Co

vestock Auction

at Solutions a Solu Sol

Dodge City, Kansas

40 Ty Tyson yson Fo Foods, od od ds, ds s Inc Inc. ncc.

24

475

Adams ams ms R Ranch an IInc. nc..

ROCERY STORE

h Inc.

Whole Foods Market Austin, Texas

COW-CALF OPERATION

Deseret Cattle & Citrus

St. Cloud, Florida

rocessors rocess rocesso roc cessors essor

21

PRODUCTION cow/calf operation

1

6-8 months breeding monitoring gestation cycles + birthing early calf development weaning raising cattle herding cattle

TOP 15 cow/calf operations

Koch Argricultural Co.

Padlock Ranch Company

J.R. Simplot Co. J.R. Simplot Co.

Padlock Ranch Company

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Blair Bros. Ranch

Duane Martin Livestock True Ranches LLC J.R. Simplot Co.

J.R. Simplot Co.

Silver Spur Ranch

Duane Martin Livestock

Duane Martin Livestock

Silver Spur Ranch

Koch Argricultural Co.

Koch Argricultural Co. Silver Spur Ranch

ET Waggoner Estate Adams Ranch Inc.

A Duda & Sons Inc.

King Ranch Inc.

Deseret Cattle & Citrus Lightsey Cattle Co. Lykes Bros.

Adams Ranch Inc. Alico Inc.

Parker Ranch

22

Seminole Tribe

Because of the requirement for pastureland for grazing, cow/calf operations are located in RURAL areas. The largest operations are geographically concentrated in Florida, but there are several other operations scattered throughout the U.S. operating at much smaller scales.

in the

spotlight

COW-CALF

OPERATION b

eef cattle begin their lives as calves, who require the nourishment of their mothers’ milk and pasture grasses to develop. Deseret Ranches have functioned primarily as a cattle operation for over fifty years, despite also producing citrus, which one would expect to come from Florida. The ranch specializes in producing quality calves that are sold after weaning to feeding operations around the country before they become beef. This involves moving herds into new pastures, prepping corrals and chutes, breeding, and weaning. Gaining the reputation as one of the leading cattle operations took years of effort and applying the latest health, nutrition, and handling ‘innovations’.

When the ranch was first founded, bred cattle didn’t exist in the region, so they developed a breeding program to select for traits that tolerate the heat, humidity, insects, and heavy rainfall of the climate, as well as traits for beef quality, rate of gain, reproductive capacity, and calving ease. Today, they utilize a three-way rotational breeding program that maximizes hybrid vigor with Simbrah, Braford, and Brangus Angus breeds. They also conduct research to grow higher quality grasses for the cattle to graze on.

Despite being in a remote area, the ranch is still close to urban centers that push for community development, placing pressures on the land, water, and transportation corridors.

The ranch intends to continue agricultural practices in harmony with natural systems and diverse wildlife.

It claims to be committed to the regeneration and conservation of natural resources- especially water, and the future long-term planning of the region to preserve a Central Florida quality of life. For example, the ranch deploys a strategy called “edge effect”, positioning patchworks of woodlands and wetlands amid pastures rather than clearing off all the land for grazing. They want the public to hear this message and they have received honors/recognition for environmental stewardship.

DESERET

CATTLE & CITRUS St. Cloud, Florida

Building Florida’s Legacy.

Committed to Florida’s Future.

the HERD

44,000

cows total

1,300 bulls

33,000

the LAND

259,000 acres

160,000 acres for pastureland

calves per year

13

CATTLE

management units

( > 1,000 cattle per cowboy)

highest weaning rates in the industry

“BEST IN REGION” HONORS from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for environmental stewardship & land management 23

PASTURE OVERTURE How does one get around 259,000 acres without a horse? How about a gondala?

Fly above vast pastures, wetlands, woodlands, and waterways from an aerial viewpoint.

MEET THE HERD We’re all on big happy family here, and our cows are no exception.

MAP OF THE RANCH 4

Orlando

01

Cocoa

02

03

Kissimmee

04

St. Cloud

Atlantic Ocean

05 06

95 07

08 10

09

11 12

14

13 15

corrals miles

0

24

25

M

Cows fall Stroll the ge the computer s bulls and pr will look like

MATCH-MAKER

l in love, didn’t you know? estation barn and then use system to match cows with redict what their offspring e. Check back in 9 months!

08 N

corral plan

feet 0

50

250

LOAD ‘EM UP! Ramps aren’t made for slipping on. Make your ways through the gates to the final destination.

the SQUEEZE Keep Calm and Carry on in the Hydraulic Chute. No shot, weigh-in, or check-up ever killed anyone.

the WEANING CENTER Weaning is a natural process for calves in order from them to grow. Cows may bellow, but every child needs to become independent. Learn more about the process and conquer the separation gates.

25

PRODUCTION livestock auction

2

0-1 month cattle holding exhibitions concessions auction

live auctions

locations based o Winter Livestock Auctions

Livestock auctions are located throughout the U.S., but typically in more accessible cities in regions where raising, breeding, and/or ďŹ nishing cattle takes place.

Auctions can also be attended from virtually anywhere via the internet.

26

in the

spotlight

E LIVE CATTLE

stablished in 1936, Winter Livestock is one of the oldest cattle auctions in the nation. It has five locations: Dodge City, KS, Pratt, KS, LaJunta, CO, Enid, OK, and Riverton, WY. The cattle auction has sold over 30 million head of cattle for the area’s finest cattlemen, always striving to get them top dollar for their animals. With a focus on cattle, the facilities of all the auction buildings and pens are maintained and laid out with special care for cattle needs.

AUCTION

The environment of the auction is quite casual; often there will be coffee or other concessions like on would expect to find at a sporting event or movie theater.

Venues will facilitate not only auctions, but other social gatherings, making them hubs for cattlement to bond and converse about anything and everything to do with the industry.

Today, people don’t even need to go to the auction to participate with technologies of real-time, live stream auctions on the internet. Producers can receive constant updates on the status of the market.

Using terms like consignments or commodities when refering to heifers, cows, and steers being auctioned off, this sector is highly commodified and involves a lot of speculation. It’s all about getting the highest price, not just for large corporations making billions of dollars, but also for the small ranchers who depends on marginal prices to support their families. Many ranchers pursue other careers in addition to ranching in order to make ends meet.

This requires predicting future costs dependent on what beef consumers will be willing to pay in order to preserve and build beef demand in the industry. The challenge is not necessarily beef quantity, but beef quality as prices increase and there is incentive for less cattle with larger carcass weights which affects portion size and market costs. Beef retailers form relationships with grocery retailers or restaurant owners to minimize the impact of high unit beef prices from larger meat cuts. Premium price needs to match premium qualities of marbling, tenderness, flavor, nutrition, etc.

Breeding efforts in cow-calf operations become critical to controlling beef quality and anticipating market trends. This phase of production depends on the prior phase and must look ahead to ensure efficiency and profits in later phases of the food chain.

LIVE L IV VE V Winter

livestock auction Dodge City, Kansas

We strive for top dollar on your cattle. over

30 million cattle SOLD

$200-300 average price

LIVE STREAM VIDEO

AUCTIONS

online for your convenience

and frequently updated market reports

to keep you in the now so you can predict for the future markets 27

livestock center

cattle barn/outdoor pens

swine building

cattle barn/outdoor pens

ANIM

SITE PLAN

nd goats

feet

0

50

100

200

FOOD

CONCESSIONS

MUNCHIES WIFI WANNA-BE

Can’t have a show without some p op corn and candy to munch on.

Show sold out? No worries. Just use your mobile device or computer to tune in live any time.

SOLD! Ho ot and holler with a huge round of applause for the cattle. They are the stars in this arena so we give them the celebrity treatment.

AUCTION EXHIBIT

RESTROOMS

28

MAL DOCK

open pens

covered pens

DOCK

aaisle ais isle sle w/ w/ ccatwalk caaatw attw twa walk alk

CASTING CALL It takes time to get your moment in the sp otlight, but you never know who is watching from ab ove.

CATTLE PENS

HOLDING

DRESSING ROOMS Get ready for your close-up!

Final touches b ehind the curtain b efore the big debut.

PLAN

feet

0

15

30

60

29

PRODUCTION feedlot operation

3

4-6 months mixing feed ingredients distributing rations “finishing” cattle management

TOP 15 feedlot operations

Agri Beef Co. J.R. Simplot Co.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

J.R. Simplot Co. Agri Beef Co.

Four States Feedyard Inc.

JBS Five Rivers, LLC

Innovative Livestock Services Inc. Oppliger Feedyard, Inc.

JBS Five Rivers, LLC

Gottsch Cattle Co. Foote Cattle Co.

Agri Beef Co.

Foote Cattle Co. Four States Feedyard Inc. Innovative Livestock Services Inc. JBS Five Rivers, LLC Cargill Cattle Feeders Co. Cargill Cattle Feeders Co.

Cactus Feeders

Irsik & Doll Feed Services Four States Feedyard Inc. AzTz Cattle Co. Cattle Empire LLC

Harris Ranch

JBS Five Rivers, LLC JBS Five Rivers, LLC JBS Five Rivers, LLC Cargill Cattle Feeders Co. Oppliger Feedyard, Inc.

Cactus Feeders

Friona Industries L.P.

Pinal Feedyard, Inc. JBS Five Rivers, LLC

30

AzTz Cattle Co.

The largest operations are highly consolidated in RURAL areas because they require extensive land areas comparable to small cities. For the most part, feedlots are geographically concentrated in the central region of the U.S. particularly in the Texas panhandle and Kansas.

in the

spotlight

BEEF CATTLE cF E E D L O T

actus Feeders may be the second largest cattle feeding operation in America, but it is the world’s largest privately-owned cattle feeding operation with 10 feedyards in the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Kansas. This region provides the climate and access to abundant grain for feeds and cattle that is a formula for success.

While feeding and rapid cattle weight gain are the top priority at the feedlot, other important considerations are executed to keep the massive operations running.

These include: cattle/feed financing, cattle performance record keeping and research to identify ideal genetics and practices, cattle marketing that responds to a dynamic beef industry market, environmental and food safety, and state-of-the-art health and nutrition programs. However, all of this is done exclusively to maximize cattle performance and enhance profitablility from the cattle that are fed. Therefore, issues like animal health or environmental stewardship only happen out of necessity, not as leading principles. Relationships with grain-feed producers and pharmaceutical developers of antibiotics are also key to operation success.

The process starts and ends with the receiving/shipping area with non-slip chutes and ramps. Flow of cattle and spatial planning are critical for control, efficiency, and management. Such strategies aim to reduce the stress levels of the cattle so they remain calm and don’t get sick. The feedlot also provides hospital pens or barns for sick animals to get treatment. Feeding cattle is a highly computerized and automated process that involves formulating and mixing feed rations, distributing rations and water, weighing animals, etc. Additionally, pen layouts facilitate feed schedules as well as drainage for waste control using strategies like tanks and waste lagoons.

cactus

feeders Cactus, Texas Let’s do business. You bring cattle, and we’ll feed them.

Realize the value of your cattle with the Cactus way.

10

feedyard locations

( Texas Panhandle and Kansas )

527,000

cattle capacity

Cactus Feedyard revenues exceeding

$750 million 500+ employees

Again, decisions are made to promote cattle and beef as commodities with commercial value.

influencing the beef industry as the largest, privatelyowned cattle feeding operation in the WORLD

75,000

cattle capacity

CATTLE BUSINESS OF THE CENTURY AWARD from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association 31

PLAN feet

0

400

2000

TANK TUNNEL Our waste tanks never leak and to prove it, we’ve constructed a tunnel below of the same metal and bolts for you to walk under. But you won’t feel a drop.

ARCH

People all dung as a your own a out of our

LAZY LAGOON Our water is so fresh, we’re letting you take a dip! Relax as you float along a waste lagoon in an inflatable tube and take a moment to bask in the Texan sun.

PLAY PEN Conveniently, cattle pens are about the same size as a basketball court.

Shoot some hoops or play your hand at a variety of other games in one of our pens that has no cattle in it.

SU

Grain silos techn turne adren

32

beef packing plant Cactus

Cactus Feeders

SITE PLAN feet

0

200

1000

HI-MANURE

around the world use cow building material. Build architectural masterpiece dried manure blocks.

TROUGH TRAIL Travel in a trailer hitched to the feed truck to see the cattle up close and watch them do what they do best-eat.

UPER-SILO

n feeds are mixed and stored in using the latest computer nology. Our engineers have ed one of our silos into an naline pumping amusement ride.

33

PROcessing packing plant

4 0-2 months holding cattle slaughter carcass disassembly inspection + grading processing freezing + storage some cooking, canning, etc. packaging

Agri-Beef Co.

American Foods Groups JBS Beef Co. Cargill Meat Solutions JBS Beef Co. Tyson Foods, Inc. Tyson Foods, Inc.

JBS Beef Co. JBS Beef Co.

JBS Beef Co. Cargill Meat Solutions

Greater Omaha Packing Co. Nebraska Beef

Tyson Foods, Inc. Cargill Meat Solutions

JBS Beef Co. Monfort Beef

National Beef Packing Co. Cargill Meat Solutions

Cargill Meat Solutions National Beef Packing Co.

Tyson Foods, Inc.

Cargill Meat Solutions

Tyson Foods, Inc. Monfort Beef

Tyson Foods, Inc. Cargill Meat Solutions

Caviness Beef Packers

JBS Beef Co. National Beef Packing Co.

Tyson Foods, Inc. JBS Beef Co.

Sam Kane Beef Processors

TOP 10 beef packers

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

34

Because the top packers dominate the sector, there is geographic concentration from the Great Lakes regions to the central U.S. near feedlot operations.

Massive factory facilities are often removed from city centers in INDUSTRIAL zones

in the

spotlight

j

BS began over 50 years ago as a small family-owned beef company in Brazil and has expanded into a multi-billion dollar global corporation. Today, it is the biggest foreign meat company on US soil and the world’s biggest producer of beef. The corporation buys poorly running facilities to make them more efficient, as was the scenario when they bought the Greeley slaughterhouse previously owned by Swift in 2007. Additionally they operate at a global scale with facilities in countries like Brazil and Australia that lead the way in beef exports. This success depends on success in previous phases of the food chain to meet standards and assure customers of the quality they expect. Accordingly, JBS uses vertical integration to dominate the feeding operation sector as well.

PACKING

P L A N T

Each phase requires precision and efficiency, but perhaps this phase requires the most. Every task is calculated and the production line moves without stopping like clockwork that would never be possible without massive built environments of mechanization and sequencing. This is done for some safety precautions, but more so for speed to reduce per-head production costs.

jbs

beef co.

Greeley, Colorado

Our mission: to provide the best possible service, selection, and value to our customers.

One of the leading designers of animal handling and slaughter pracitices is Temple Grandin, an Autistic woman who has deep understanding for the way animals view the world. Her approaches promote animal welfare during slaughter with materials and spatial relationships that put the animals at ease as they move sequentially through our food system in conjuntion with machines.

Although cattle slaughter is more challenging for standardization because cattle range in size, the processes of the slaughterhouse and packing/processing plants strive to achieve product outputs that are consistent.

Technology has enabled greater automation for packaging, inspection, and speed, but at the same time, no machine is more capable of deboning and cutting meat than human laborers who endure dangerous conditions along assembly lines. This ideal output, centering on precision and efficiency for maximum profit, caters to customer values of appearance, flavor, portion size, or safety to deliver and exceed expectations. A number of brands like Swift or Certified Angus Beef are then marketed and distributed to reatailers, wholesalers, and foodservice establishments.

Therefore, this phase is crucial to transforming the cattle commodity into the beef commodity and is responsible for removing the blood and messiness of that process to make the consumption experience of eating convenient and pleasurable.

Looking to the future, the company strives for sustainability, as current research attempts to reduce carbon footprints, improve fuel/energy efficiency, especially regarding transporation, and create technologies to purify and conserve water. They also claim to care about employees and their communities. As a leader in the industry, these actions are being taken because of the pressure to serve as an example. Business not depends on social responsibility and natural resources so that production can continue at its current magnitude. What makes a difference is with which attitude this problem is combated.

5,400

World’s Biggest

3,200

BEEF

cattle slaughtered per day workers

3.3 million Producer pounds of beef

8

beef plants in the US ( CO, TX, UT, NE, WI, AZ, MI, PA )

2012 + 2013 SmartWay Excellence Award from the U.S. EPA for leadership in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency 35

SITE PLAN

feet

0

50

500

liver rack QC

sorting gate

squeeze chute PLAN

to knocking box & kill floor

scale

feet

0

10

beef wash cabinet

THE CHUTE

outrail bench

This chute isn’t for the laundry. There’s no b etter way to organize cattle efficiently and keep them calm. Don’t slip!

lactic acid HANDLER CATWALK sorting gate

gutting stand

STAGING AREA CROWD PEN

blocking gate

head wash cabinets

HOLDING PENS

INSPECTIO

Nothing gets goal to make s the b est quali see if they can

X X

lactic acidd

u X

QC

QUALITY CONTROL

X

USDA INSPECTOR

LIVE CATTLE SCALE

HOLDING PEN

MAIN CARCASS LINE HEAD LINE

X

SCALE HOUSE

OFFAL LINE LIVER LINE PAUNCH LINE

HOLDING PEN

HOLDING PEN

HOLDING PEN

HOLDING PEN

OUTRAIL LINE OFFAL CONVEYOR ELEVATED STAND 36

LIVE CATTLE UNLOADING

HOLDING PEN

CROWD PEN

SQUEEZE CHUTE

BU

Are Fin sim

knocking box

conveyor

kill floor PLAN

PLASTIC WRAP Beef is packaged to seal in freshness. Automated machines can package all of our meat.

What would it feel like to b e wrapp ed in plastic?

FREEZE TAG Co olers keep meat at the p eak of freshness. The b est way to stay warm is to stay active. Why not play a game of tag amid aisles of hanging meat?

COOLERS

COOLERS

FABRICATION

ks

USDA OFFICE, LUNCHROOM & BATHROOM

CLEAN MEN’S LUNCHROOM

CLEAN MEN’S BATHROOM

X

h

X

DIRTY MEN’S LUNCHROOM

CLEAN MEN’S LOCKERS

WOMEN’S BATHROOM & LOCKERS

PLANT MANAGER’S OFFICE

QC OFFICE

SUPERVISOR’S BATHROOM & LOCKERS

DIRTY MEN’S LOCKERS

KILL FLOOR OFFICE

SANITATION OFFICE

SUPPLY & LAUNDRY ROOM

KNIFE SHARPENING

DIRTY MEN’S BATHROOM

SAFETY COORDINATOR FIRST AID ROOM

viscera table X

cooler

intestine conveyor

X

foot table

reinspection table cooler

QC

ON PERFECTION

by our insp ectors. It’s our sure our b eef is safe and of ity. Test our insp ectors and n pick up on the ‘bad’ meat you pass by them.

scale

upstairs maintenance shop and surveillance recovery stand

SINEWY SPEEDWAY

backers’ belt

Watch our exp ert b eef cutters slice their way through the pro duction line in record time

down puller

tail puller machine

side puller machine

UPSIDE-DOWN HANGER

denotion table

ULLS-EYE!

We can’t avoid the blo o d, but you can!

Hang-glide your way over the mess among the susp ended freshly slaughter cows.

e you a sharp sho oter? nd out with this stun gun mulation.

bleed pit area

electrical stimulation

37

consumpTION grocery store

5 unknown butchering packaging freezing/storage some prep/cooking some eating

grocery stores

clusters determined with Google Earth

The locations of most grocery stores reflect high population densities and issues of food access. Therefore there is greater concentration in URBAN and SUBURBAN areas.

38

in the

d

etermining the best grocery stores isn’t just about making the highest profits or having the most locations.

There are countless other criteria that leads to satisfied customers including: prices, quality, variety, and availability of products, cleanliness, and customer service. In addition to food, grocery stores sell a shopping experience to gain customer loyalty. Many would say the ideal grocery store should enhance shopping experience, help us to eat better, and provide one-stop-shopping, which in this case, must include beef.

GROCERY

spotlight

whole foods

market

S T O R E

Whole Foods fits this criteria and has been recognized through multiple polls as one of the top grocery stores in the U.S. mostly due to it’s specialization in organic and natural foods. This fact sets them apart from a lot of competitors, which is very enticing for people who want to eat better or know more about where their food is coming from. As a national food movement takes shape and critiques issues within the conventional food system, many people are becoming more concerned about the quality of their food. The success of the store reveals this trend. Whole Foods wants to provide this transparency and education about healthy eating for their buyers so they can make informed choices.

At Whole Foods, all of the beef sold has passed very rigorous standards. Farm animal and meat quality standards regarding the producer’s raising and handling practices, feed, facility design, environmental conditions, employee training, and animal welfare during raising, transportation, and processing are outlined and enforced. Cattle are never ever given antibiotics or supplemental growth hormones; there are no animal byproducts in feeds; and cattle are raised on pasture/ range for at least 2/3 of their life. Such standards hold producers accountable, forcing them to work with nature, not against it.

And, the butcher is always free to answer questions about beef.

Basically, Whole Foods so kindly does all of the research for shoppers, selecting only the best quality, so that they may make purchases with peace of mind. However, even this sustainable, transparent approach can be very misleading. Questions need to be asked about how stores like Whole Foods can proliferate without contradicting their core values. Conventionalization is the process through which an alternative food value chain becomes only a slightly different version of an industrial one; this is happening at Whole Foods, but goes unnoticed by customers.

First, the definition of organic is weak because the USDA is so heavily influenced by agribusiness lobbying. Almost all of the organic food in the US comess out of California where five or six huge farms dominate a consolidated industry. Yet, Whole Foods makes you think you are supporting small, local farmers.

They profile local farms, but don’t actually sell their product because that would be nearly impossible for a company operating in multiple states. Organic also doesn’t necessarily save energy like advocates claim mostly due to transportation costs. Surprisingly, not all food sold is even organic or natural and there are conventionally raised options mixed in. The store puts tremendous effort into giving customers a vague sense of virtue. Because so much emphasis is placed on food ethics, customers are mislead about what they are really paying premium prices for.

Austin, Texas FFRESH R ESH

America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.

VALUES MATTER.

1980

year first Whole Foods opened in Austin, TX

384 + 10 + 9 = U.S.A.

Canada

UK

403

stores

2,600 natural + organic

STOP TOP

A delightful, clean, seemingly uncomplicated shopping experience can be had at Whole Foods. Yet, despite not selling industrial beef, the store still operates like other grocery stores that do and falls into the same traps, which is concerning when they are supposed to be an example of the alternative.

FARM FARMSS

G R O C E RY S T O R E

specialization in USDA-certified ORGANIC + ALL NATURAL FOODS

products

sales in 2014:

$14.2 billion “100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR”

ranked by FORTUNE magazine 17 consecutive years 39

PLAN 0

10

outdoor market

feet

0

PRISTINE CLEAN

SITE PLAN 100

Gro cery stores are always sp otless.

Sanitary sp ecifications rivaling a hospital assure you your meat was prepared in clean conditions and is safe for your family.

500

floral

produce bulk

international

seafood

wines

dairy

40

feet

100

dining

juice & gelato

restrooms sushi

check-out

chef-prepared food

MEAT MADE EASY

natural groceries whole body

Never co ok a day in your life with pre-co oked meals steamy hot and ready to make an app earance at your table or one of our tables.

chef kitchens

A-MAZE-ING AISLES Why is the b eef always at the back?

What’s the longest route and how many items will make it into your cart on the way?

frozen f

cheeses natural groceries candy

coffee and tea

DELICIOUS DISPLAYS

bakery

natural meats & poultry

Now there’s some high quality, fresh b eef.

So many packages, all lined up in neat little rows exactly the way you exp ect to find them- abundant and fair-priced.

BACK-ROOM BUTCHER Put on a parka and chill in the back freezer ro om with skilled butchers who know their b eef and make it lo ok like fo o d, not animals.

41

consumpTION fast-food

6 unknown cooking ordering eating storage

fast-food restaurants

clusters of McDonald’s determined with Google Earth

Because they are convenient, fast-food chains usually follow major highway routes, but also proliferate in densely populated areas whether URBAN, SUBURBAN, or RURAL.

42

in the

spotlight

bburger ururger urge uurg rgrrge rger ggeeerr pllallane plan pla pplane aannnee

m

cDonald’s was founded in 1948 as a self-service drive-in restaurant. The menu had only 9 items including the staple 15 cent hamburger. The second McDonald’s opened in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955, a red and white tiled builing with Golden Arches designed by architect Stanley Meston. The golden arches have been an iconic symbol of the franchise, important to the brand recognition across the globe.

FAST-FOOD

Modifications were made to the restuarants over time like the additions of indoor seating in 1962 or the first drive-thru in 1975. Both of these elements are common today and create a dining environment of quick, or on-the-go service.

One can get food without leaving their vehicle in a matter of minutes after ordering. The same is true inside, where one waits in line, orders at the counter, and can find a table to sit at and enjoy their meal. The fast-food architecture is laid out to perform this kind of service. The place the food is sold is as important as the food itself because it shapes an experience of convenience and delight.

RESTAURANT

mcdonald’s restaurants San Bernardino, California

The customer experience is at the core of all we do.

Today, the menu offers a multitude of options from wraps, to salads, to coffee, but burgers like the Big Mac continue to be the most iconic foods. In 2002, the corporation launched its dollar menu. The fact that they can have certain food items cost only a dollar, such as a hamburger is incredible, and only made possible due to the conventional food system. Clearly McDonald’s takes advantage of cheap meat, an industry which exploded in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 2006, McDonald’s added nutritional information to packaging to demonstrate the nutritional quality of their food. In the last decade, they have also been adding a variety of healthier options to balance out their menu. It is somewhat ironic that the restaurant was able to grow and expand globally because of cheap meat, but is now so successful it has ample money to invest in sustainable beef.

This is important because as fast-food has always had a reputation of being unhealthy and McDonald’s in particular has been criticized for its practices by an increasingly healthconscious and ethical public. The documentary “Super Size Me” is just one example of attacks on the corporation for contributing to America’s obesity rates. Despite this, the fast-tood chain has only been growing; clearly, there are other factors at play. People are still buying the highly processed food. What is it that convinces them to do do?

Nonetheless, McDonald’s must respond to demands for better quality food and increased transparency to retain the loyalty of all customers and create a better company image.

Different approaches can be taken: improve the food itself, or change people’s opinions about the food. Remodeled restaurants are factors in the equation. Replacing old plastic furniture and red mansard roofs with modernized facades, colorful decor, free wi-fi and TVs, or in extreme cases added solar panels, is a drastic and expensive change that is immediately visible to consumers. Advertisements and additions to the menu also attempt to present a ‘greener’ McDonald’s, and a corporation that is cognizant of its flaws and working to improve upon them. They want to alter the minds of skeptics and prove them wrong.

since 1955

35,000

restaurants

1,400

restaurants opened in 2013

DRIVE DRIV DRIVE-THR DR DRIVERI -THR THRR

make mak ke it75 a COMBO...

COMBO 99¢

hamburgers per second

1 billion

pounds of beef consumed at U.S. McDonald’s each year

planet plane lane lanet anet ane nee

cheap, fastt FOOD 1.9 million+ employees

WORLD’S LEADING GLOBAL FOOD SERVICE RETAILER

119 COUNTRIES #6 WORLD’S MOST

VALUABLE BRAND 2013 - FORBES magazine

43

PLAN

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0

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25

RESTRO

ORDER UP! How do we get your fo o d co oked so fast and how do our co oks make it taste so darn go o d? We know you’re lovin’ it.

KITCHEN

DRIVE-THRU Always at your convenience!

Enjoy a hamburger on the go when you’re in a rush wherever you are and receive the consistent service and quality you deserve.

44

SITE PLAN

feet

0

10

50

MONUMENTAL SIGNAGE Our golden arches are more recognizable than the cross. How many other fast-fo o d chain signs can you identify? We know our signs and buildings won’t b e ignored

OOMS DINING COZY BOOTHS With mo dern flare, comfy furniture, and ammenities like television and music, stay a while and feel as if you are dining in the security of your own home.

ORDERING COUNTER DRIVE-THRU WINDOW

MENU MANIA The most iconic menu items after 60 years are still the classic hamburger and fries, but there are so many healthy options to cho ose from. What will you order?

ENTRY

45

consumpTION steakhouse

7 unknown prep cooking storage serving dining

steakhouse restaurants

clusters determined with Google Earth

Steakhouse restaurants are the top of the line for beef dining, so they are typically located in more auent and densely populated, URBAN regions and cities.

46

in the

spotlight

FORMAL

p RESTAURANT

eter Luger Steakhouse has been around for over 125 years. The rave reviews on steaks and burgers are due to meticulous selection and preparation yielding a level of quality that is simply unmatched. The meat has a buttery, silky texture and burgers are seasoned and cooked so perfectly there’s no need for any toppings other than cheese and a bun.

Plating the perfect steak begins with a trip to the city’s wholesale markets, where meat is inspected and purchased. Identifying superior meat requires exceptional skill and this knowledge has been passed down for generations. The meat selected is only USDA Prime, which constitutes less than 2% of graded beef cattle as the most elite grade. This rare grade is scrutinized for color, marbling, and texture to provide diners with only the best. Fatty, tender meat is praised

by USDA standards and supports an industrialized food system. Still, people will spend large sums for it.

peter luger steakhouse Brooklyn, New York

Among the country’s finest.

The New York Times (2011 review) “The restaurant Peter Luger has been around for an astonishing 120 years. It has inspired many imitators, but no other steakhouse serves a porterhouse so breathtaking. The beef has a subtle tang, an intense mineral quality, a crazy richness and a spectrum of textures: crunchy at the edges, and tender at the bone.”

The meat is purchased on the carcass. The restaurant takes part in some of the butchering as a result. The restaurant building also houses a cellar for dry aging.

In this process, the meat is aged in carefully regulated temperature, humidity, and ventilation conditions. Once steaks are properly aged, they are trimmed and brought up to the kitchen to be broiled to the requested finish of the patron: rare, medium-rare, or well-done.

USDA

Prime

With meat so impeccably devine, the restaurant practically becomes a destination for steak-lovers. The experience is rooted in taste and pleasure. It is meant to be savored. Unfortunately, plates are also pretty expensive, so not all people can enjoy it. However, the restaurant does sell their aged steaks online, if you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on them of course.

Ultimately, a lot of work on the part of the restaurant owners, butchers, chefs, and waiters goes into creating an excellent fine dining experience that is not achieved in other sectors of beef production.

dry aged

steaks

1887 restaurant opens

2

LOCATIONS

Brooklyn, New York Great Neck, New York

rated

TOP STEAKHOUSE in New York for years

28

47

SITE PLAN feet

0

40

100

KI

Broa

dway

e Bridg sburg Willi am

Willi am

sburg

Bridg

e

A lo scen and their will

PETER LUGER STEAKHOUSE

KITCHEN STELLAR CELLAR The dry-aging pro cess is key to the quality of steak. Having a cellar for aging on-site makes a huge difference and only the top grade is meticulously selected.

48

BE OUR GUEST This may not b e Beauty and the Beast, but up on entrance an immediate impression sets the tone for exceptional service throughout the dining exp erience.

LOBBY RESTROOM

BAR & LOUNGE

ITCHEN CONCOCTIONS

ot of invisible lab or go es on b ehind the nes to get meals to at your sp ecific requests in a timely manner so all guests may eat r meals together, although chances are you b e sharing your steaks.

CATEGORIZE THE CUT Can you tell the difference b etween a p orterhouse and and a NY strip steak?

Do es it even really matter?

DINING ROOM

N TENDER TASTEBUDS Steak so tender you can cut it like butter and savor its silky smo oth texture. This is the ultimate exp erience.

PLAN

feet

0

5

25

49

beefville, usa

statistics the proof is in the numbers

#

toppi to op pp pi

50

the he in ing ng th

51

achieving

world beef

m

any industrial beef producers justify their methods by claiming to feed the growing population of the world.

This was pretty persuasive when everyone was convinced that mechanization and technology could solve all of the world’s problems. However, today many are skeptical and not so easily sold by this agenda as contradictions and negative long-term effects within the meat industry are exposed.

Global scales of economy FEEDING the World.

World markets and free trade for beef have introduced cheap beef to regions of the world where it was once a rarity or delicacy. Meat consumption was a status symbol of affluence, but now people in developing countries can afford it too and are consuming more of it. Nearly 7 million tons of animal protein is produced annually in the U.S.- enough to supply every American with 75 grams of animal protein per day compared to the recommended 56 grams of total animal and plant protein. Influenced largely by world economic powers like America or the European Union, these countries are adopting excessive western diets instead of continuing traditional cuisines.

CANADA 20.2kg

USA kg 26.5kg

GENUS United Kingdo

GROUP France

USA USA 35,108,000 0,000 ,000 00 000 96,700,000 SMITHFIELD FOODS Virginia, USA TYSON FOODS Arkansas, USA MEXICO 30,600,000

BRAZIL 39,100,000 176,000,000 176,00 BRAZIL

Eat beef 3 times a day.

ARGENTINA 50,400,000

The contradiction is that even as meat becomes more accessible, it isn’t feasible for every person in the world to eat beef three times a day. In reality, industrialized agriculture and meat production does not succeed in feeding the world as people still starve. If we can’t produce enough food for human consumption now how can we expect to produce enough food to feed the animals that feed us? Trends towards greater beef consumption are not sustainable and need to be reversed.

Beef becomes a commodity. A variety of consumer tastes and cultures are homogenized and satisfied by beef that meets global standards. Cheap food is de-contextualizedpeople really have no idea where it comes from or where been; it comes from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

GENETICS

CONSUMPTION

top global leaders

(Kg beef per capita)

CATTLE RAISING

SLAUGHTER

cattle heads

52

cattle heads

om

HENDRIXS GENETICS Netherlands

RUSSIA 13.6kg

EUROPEAN UNION EW GROUP 11.1kg Germany CHINA

PE GRIMAUD e 3.4kg .

INDIA

SUDAN 38,325,000 ETHIOPIA 34,500,000

SOUTH AFRICA 12.6kg

CHINA 46,193,000 SHUANGHUI China

JAPAN 6.8kg

INDIA 21,490,000 1 1.0kg

CHAROEN POKPHAND Thailand

AUSTRALIA 22.9kg

AUSTRALIA 28,800,000

NEW ZEALAND 19.1kg

WORLD TOTAL 296,000,000

TOP 4 TOTAL 141,891,000 53

CONSUMPTION BY GENDER AND AGE (pounds of beef per capita) MALE

95

110

89

5 54

AGE

2-11 12-19 20-39 40-59

65

60+

FEMALE

86 48

MALE FEMALE AVG. AVG.

47 56 52 50 43

2-11 12-19 20-39 40-59

60+

AGE

CONSUMPTION by place

CONSUMPTION by income

CONSUMPTION by race

(pounds of beef per capita)

(pounds of beef per capita)

(pounds of beef per capita)

43

home

72 68 63 23 19 9

65

77 68 62

white

black

4

away restaurant other from home

low income

middle income

high income

hispanic

other

consumer 54

13%

other

67

beef consumption by cuts

processed

5% ground beef

beef dishes

42%

7%

POUNDS

steak

20%

average beef consumption per person per year in the United States

stew

13%

CONSUMPTION BY location

CONSUMPTION BY region

(pounds of beef per capita)

(pounds of beef per capita)

66 63 75

63 73 65 65

top consumer a

BLACK

MALE age

earning a

LOW INCOME

20-39

in the RURAL MIDWEST.

all data on beef consumption in the U.S. obtained from a USDA report written in 2005

by Christopher G. Davis and Biing-Hwan Lin Urban

Suburban

Rural

Northeast

Midwest

South

West

Factors Aecting U.S. Beef Consumption

r demand 55

4

main

greehouse

gases

carbon dioxide

CO O2

the 2014 IPCC report states:

O

O

“humans ARE having an impac on climate chang

C

methane

CH4

H H

C

H

H

nitrous oxide

N2O

N

fluorinated gases

N+

O

the food system is responsible for 50% of climate change due to crop and animal agri land use change and deforestation, processing, transportation, packing, retail, and w

-

em is

s on si

84% CO 09% CH 05% NO 02% flourinated gases

methane emissions

estimated

100-200 liters = released per cow, per day

56 56

1

ca ca so so

impacting cli 56

ct ge.�

iculture, waste

60

12 oz o

a ans ns of oda o d pop

gw p

global warming potential

CO O2 1

CH4 N2O X 23

we must

mitigate m a adapt

X 300

e carbon dioxide

n generation

watt 100 w g ng od n ro pro p producing

gh lightbulb

BEE = 20days off BEEF go kg 1kg 1 d

burning for bu

animal agriculture accounts for approx.

18% of annual greenhouse gas emissions that impact global climate change

imate change 57

(data from 2007)

CATTLE DENSITY LEVELS (# of cattle per county)

one none (0-1,999) (2,000-7,999) (8,000-19,999)

cattle territory

(20,000-500,000)

95,000,000 cattle residing in the U.S.

32,500,000 cattle slaughtered per year

shift from f 58

of land area of MT, WY, CO, NM, AZ, NV, UT, and ID is used for rangeland

input to RATIO protein beef protein output

67%

54:1

the equivalent of

growing 47% of SOY feeder corn (animal feeds and ethanol, not human food)

grain 60% feeds of CORN soybeans (< 2% used in human food)

produced in the U.S. is consumed by livestock

100,000

liters of water for every

KG

of beef

soil erosion average soil loss of land producing grain feed crops

13 tons/hectare/year average soil loss of pastureland for grazing

06 tons/hectare/year

54%

alfala hay

of U.S. pasture land is severely overgrazed where erosion may exceed

100 tons

(requires fertilizers and replaces native vegetation)

top 10

U.S. produce [ asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, honeydew melon, onions, sweet corn, tomatoes ]

87 million

74 million

59 million

1million acres

2 2 0 M I L L I O N A C R E S T O TA L

food to feed 59

WEIGHT GAIN & GRAIN FEED D CORRELATION CORRELATIONS

OIL

OIL CORN

2.5-4 LBS GAINED

D EPEN D E N C E

x

DAY

6 LB LBS FEED F EED POUND GAINED

=

15-24 15 24 LBS

x

DAY (PER STEER)

GRAIN-FEED MOUNTAINS

cattle are ‘finished’ on feedlot ranging from 4-10months depending on initial weight feed quality, and feedlot conditions (from as early as 6 months old to as late as 22

1500

WEIGHT (lbs)

1320

1000

2010

7700 00 500

450 5

a gr

206 0 100 60 3 months

6 months

9 months

12 months

15 months

BORN

18 mon

MATURE

(mother’s) milk & grass-fed in pasture

WEANING GRASS-FED in pasture

F

E

E

D

L

O

T

(slaughter weight)

‘ balanced grain + protein diet; ’fresh’ water

STOCKERS & AUCTION

BIGGER CATTLE 60

rump

S

chuck

brisket

short loin

rib

short plate

heel

40% % chuck

avg. av 1,000-32,000 1,000-3 32,000 R STEER

sirloin

flank

total weight becomes retail beef

S

t, desired weight, 2 months old)

1250

fed ss-

nths

ef be

breeding g & artificial i insemination antibiotics, iotics, rBGH, G & feed fee additives transportation o & distribution tribution

850

1940 9 21 months

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

NORMAL LIFE EXPECTANCY

20-25 YEARS

E IN LESS TIME 61

consolidat contin

VERTICAL + HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION

u.s. cattle production 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5

1940

1950

U.S. CATTLE PRODUCTION TOTALS (in millions)

1960

1970

1980

199

AVERAGE NUMBER OF CATTLE PER OPERATION (actual)

fewer & large 62

tion 9% nues

90

largest

largest

2%

of cow/calf producers

of feedlot operators

GENERATE

PRODUCE

51% 85% of weanling calves

of finished steers/heifers

# of Cattle per Operation

15% 5% %

100 00 < 1,000 cattle

5% 5 % >1,000 > 1,000 cattle cattl attle

80% %

<100 cattle cat Market % of Fed Cattle

40% 40 0%

5% 5 % <1 <1,000 cattle ca

>32,0 >32,000 ,000 cattle ,0 ca operations op perattions

2000

2010

2020

NUMBER OF U.S. BEEF CATTLE OPERATIONS (in millions)

80-90% 80-90 90% 0% >1,000 cattle ccat operations operat

er operations 63

Beefville, all things

beef.

COMPANY PROFILE and

ANNUAL REPORT

64

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