beef from pasture to plate 2012 notes

7/29/2019 Beef From Pasture to Plate 2012 Notes

1/33

Beef from Pasture to Plate


2/33

Do you ever wonder

Where yourCheeseburger camefrom?

Doyoueverwonderhowyourcheeseburgergotonyourplate?

DidyourMomorDadmakeit?

Didyougetitfromarestaurant?

Wheredidtheygettheingredientsfrom?Andhowdidtheingredientsgettothe

store?

Theseare

all

good

questions

that

you

should

ask

to

learn

more

about

where

your

foodcomesfrom.Todaywearegoingtotalkabouthowourhamburgersgettoour

dinnertableandwheretheycomefrom.ItallstartswithBeefCattle. Letslooka

littleattheHistoryofBeefCattle.


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Beef- A Long History

Theearliestintroductionofbeefcattletothecountrywasinthe1500sviaMexico. ThesecattlecamenorthtowhatisnowthesouthernUnitedStates,andsome

oftheirrelativesarestillaroundtoday!Beefweredomesticatedaround8,000yearsago.Butthatwasalongtimebeforethey

madeittotheUnitedstates.ThefirstcattleintotheUSwerefromMexicointhe1500s.

Theycameintothesouthernpartofthecountry.ThefirstestablishedheardwasinVirginia

around1620.


4/33

Whatisa

Cow? Anindividual

female

bovineanimalthathasproducedacalf

Heifer?Ayoungfemalebovinethathasnotproduceditsfirstcalf

Bull? Bovinemalethatisphysicallymature

Steer? Bovinemalethatcannotreproduce

Calf? Aphysicallyimmaturebovineanimal

Beef Glossary

First,somebasics.Werecognizethatourlingomaybeconfusingarenttheseallwords

forthesameanimal?Wellyesandno.Intheindustryacowmeans.

Note Picturesmatchthedefinitionandmoveclockwiseindirection


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Cattle vs. Cows

Cattle

Groupofbovineanimals

Cow Femalebovine

Calf

Babybovine Bull

Male

bovine

Itisimportanttodefinethedifferencesbetweenthetypesofcattle,orbovines.(Bovineis

afancywordforanytypeofcattle).Cowsaremothercattle,calvesarebabiesandbullsare

themales.Alltogether,cows,calvesandbullsarecalledcattle.


6/33

Dairy vs. Beef

Cattle

Beefcow=

meat

Dairycow=

milk

InIdaho,therearemanybeefand dairycattle.Infact,sellingcattlecontributesmore

moneytoIdahoseconomythananyotherindustry.Beefcattleareraisedtobeprocessed

intobeefandavarietyofbyproducts,butdairycattleareraisedtoproducemilk.This

presentationwillfocusonbeefcattle.

MostdairycattleinIdahoareblackandwhiteHolsteins,whilemostbeefcattleareAngus.


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Thereare

lots

of

differentkindsofCattle

SomeareDairytypesandothersareBeef

types

TheyarecalledBreeds

Cattle Breeds

DifferentBreedshavedifferenttraitswhichdetermineiftheyareBeeforDairyCattle.

Somecattlehavebettertraitstoproducemilk,whileothersare betterdevelopedformeat

production.

TheBreeds

here

are(Top

to

Bottom):

BeefBreeds:Limousine,Angus,Herford,Charolais.

DairyBreeds:Holstein,andJersey


8/33

Cattle are . . .

SolarPowered4wheeldrive

ForageBio

Digesters!

Thatmeans,cattlegrazeongrassesandrangelands

plantsandusetheenergyfromthem!

Cattleeatthegrassthatisgrownbythesuntopowerthemselves.Theyusetheenergyto

makemusclewhichiswhatmakesupBeef!


9/33

How Cows Work

Beefcomes

from

amazing

animals

cattle

Cattleeatgrassandturnitintohighlynutritiousbeef,whichpeopleenjoy

Cowisaruminant Stomachhasfourchambers Fermentgrass,whichismostly

cellulose,andturnitintoproteinandfat

Beefisthemusclethatsproducedfromtheprocess

JusthowdoCattleturngrassandotherforageintomeat?Welltheyarespecialanimals

thatarecalledRuminants.Thismeansthattheirstomachisspeciallydesignedwith4

differentparts.Thedifferentcompartmentshelpdigestthelignin&cellulosethatmakeup

theplantstheyeat.Cattleareabletoconverttheenergyinawaythatweashumanscould

notdo.


10/33

Todaytherearealmost100millionbeefanimalsand800,000beefcattleproducersintheU.S. Most

ofthecattleoperationsarefamilyowned.


11/33

Cattle Industry in IdahoThereare:

y 2.11MillionCattleinIdahoy 529,366dairycows

y 7,700beeffarming&ranchingfamilies

y 77%raise500ormorecattle!

y 800dairyfarms

InIdahoalonetherearemorecattlethanpeople!Wehave2.11Millioncattlehereinour

state.Theyaretakencareofbyalmost8,000differentfarmand ranchingfamilies.Manyof

thecattlehereareDairyCowsonIdahos800DairyFarms.


12/33

The Beef Supply Chain

Stocker Feedlot Packer

Processor

Retailer

FoodserviceConsumer

SeedStockCow/Calf

800,000

2,70

0

85%

35

95

%

280,000,000

TheprocessfromPasturetoplateinvolvesanumberofdifferent sectorsoftheindustry,allofwhichworktogethertoensurethattheendproductissafeandthatanimalsarehandledhumanely.

ThesupplychainofbeefstartswithRanchersandthroughstockers,feedlotowners,packers,wholesale,andretailerswefinallygetthefinishedproduct.ItallstartswiththeFarmer/Rancherssoletslearnaboutthemfirst.


13/33

Ranchers, Farmers &

Cowboys

Caretakersofcattle

Justlikechildrenrelyontheirparentsforthingssuchasahome,foodandclothes,cattle

aredependentoncaretakersfortheirwellbeing.Thesecaretakersarepopularlyreferred

toasRanchers,Farmers,orCowboys.

Howmanystudentshavepets?Well,cowboysandtheirfamiliescarejustasmuchabout

theiranimals

and

land

as

you

do

about

your

favorite

family

pet.

Sincetherearealotofcowsinherd,thesepeoplehavetowork reallyhardtotakecareof

themall.Ranchers&Farmerstakecareofcattlebyfeedingthem hayinthewinter(when

thesnowhidesgrass),doctoringthemwhentheyaresick,andmakingsurethattheyhave

plentyofgoodfoodandwater.Ranchersalsocareabouttheland thattheykeeptheir

cattleonbymanagingittoreducesoilerosion,minimizebadplantscallednoxiousweeds,

andcontroltheamountsofwildanimalsthatareonit.Itsimportanttorememberthat

justlikeeveryoneinthisclass,Ranchers,Farmers,&Cowboys peoplethatcareforcattle

comeinallshapesandsizes.


14/33

The Ranch Homeofbeefcattle

Provides

food,

space

and

water Allowsrancherstotakecareofcattle

Aranchisafarmthatraisesbeefcattle.Thereareusuallyhorsesthat helpmovethecattlewheretheyneedtogoandgreenpasturesforthecattletoliveinandeat.


15/33

Stewards of the Land

Ranchers

depend

on

healthy,

natural

resources

for

theirlivelihoodandthereforeplacehighvalueon

stewardshipoftheland.

ForAmericasbeefproducersthelandistheirlivelihood.

Goodmanagementofnaturalresourcesonfarmsandranchesacross thecountryprotects

thefuturesofthefamiliesforgenerationstocome. Beefproducersareconservationists.Beefproducersareconservationists.

ThetraditionsofcaringforanimalsandthelandarehandeddowThetraditionsofcaringforanimalsandthelandarehandeddownaswellnaswell.


16/33

Cattle Enhance the

Environment Grazinganimalsonlandunsuitableforcropproduction

morethan

doubles

the

land

area

that

can

be

used

to

producefoodinthiscountry.

Cattlegrazingminimizestheinvasionofnonnativeplantspeciesandtominimizetheriskofwildfiresbydecreasingtheamountofflammablematerial

ontheland.

Cattlearenaturesownrecyclingmachines.Theyconvertsunlight,water,andgrassintohumanfood.43%ofthetotalU.S.landmassisessentiallyusedtogrowgrassandothervegetation.Cattlegrazeongrasslandsandturnthegrassintohealthful,deliciousbeef.


17/33

CattleCare

Ranchersareinthebusinessofcaringforcattle.

Fromassistingwithcalvingatmidnighttocheckingon

grazingcattle

at

the

crack

of

dawn,

proper

animal

careisessentialtothelivelihoodoftheproducer.


18/33

Safe Beef Starts with

Healthy Cattle

Treatingsickcattleisasciencethatbeefproducerstakeseriously.

Producersworkcloselywithveterinarianstopromptlydetectandtreatanimalswiththetypeofandamountofmedication.

Overusingantibioticsdoesntbenefitcattlehealthanddoesntmakegoodbusinesssense.

Producersandveterinarianstakegreatcaretoprovidethemostefficienttreatmentforreturningananimaltogood

health.

Justlikeseeingthedoctorwhenyouaresick,BeefProducersmakesurethatsickanimals

getbetterasfastastheycan.Animaldoctors,veterinarianshelpmakesurethatproper

dosagesandmedicinesaregiven.


19/33

Out to Pasture

Cattlelivethemajorityoftheirlivesinpastures. Manyof

thecattle

used

for

beef

will

be

taken

out

of

the

pasture

whentheyare12to18monthsold.Someproducerskeeptheircattleontherangetoproducegrassfinishedbeef.


20/33

Animal

Marketing

Whencattlearereadyformarkettheyaresoldthroughalivestockauctionmarket,whichtransfersownershipto

thenextlevelintheproductionchain.

Thereare815fixedauctionfacilitiesintheU.S.

Fromthemarketthecattlearethenfedaccordingtothe

desiredfinished

product.

Somewillgotofeedlots,whileotherswillbeputouttopasture.


21/33

Feedlots

At12

18

months

of

age

cattlearetakentoafeedlot.

Thecattlearecarefullyunloadedandledthroughprocessingwheretheyaretagged,vaccinatedandenteredintotheoperations

record

keeping

system.

FeedlotsacrossthiscountryprovideasafeandproductiveenvironmentforAmericasbeef

producerstocarefortheircattle. Thissystemalsodeliverssafeandwholesomebeefwith

theuniquecombinationofbeinggoodforyouandtastinggood!


22/33

Life in the Feedlot

Cattle areinpensof100animalsandhave

about125

to

250

square

feet

of

room

per

animal

Spendfourtosixmonthsinthefeedlot

Fedascientificallyformulatedrationaveraging70percentto90percentgrain,andhaveconstantaccesstowater

Water andairqualityaremonitoredandmanagedinfeedlotsdaily

Feedlotshavetoensure

they

are

in

compliance

withstrictEPAregulations

Althoughcattlestayatthefeedlotforarelativelyshortperiodoftime,thisisanimportant

stageinbeefproductionthathelpsproducethegreattastingbeefAmericanslove.

Somekeypointstomakehereincludedthatfeedlotmanagersareveryengagedinmaking

sureeachandeveryanimalishealthy,contentandeatingwell.Itisntjusttherightthingto

do,its

good

business.

For

many

feedlot

operators,

raising

cattle

is

a family

tradition

passed

downthroughgenerations.

Feedlots varyinsizeand,thoughsomearelarge,mostU.S.cattlefeedingoperationsare

small,withfewerthan1,000headofcattleinthefacilityatonetime.


23/33

Feedlot Health and

Tracking

Sickcattle

may

be

given

antibioticsandmovedintoaseparatehospitalpenawayfromtheirherdmates fortreatment

Thispreventsthespreadofillnessandallowsfeedlotoperatorstocloselymonitortheanimalshealth

Cattledonotenterthefood

supplyuntil

antibiotics

have

lefttheirsystem

Animalsgetsicklikehumansdosobeefproducersuseantibioticstotreat,control,and

preventdiseaseincattle.

TheproductsareapprovedbytheFDAforuseinanimalagriculture.

Theyareusedinconjunctionwithguidelinestoreducetheriskofdevelopmentof

antibioticresistantbacteria.

Cattlemenwork

hard

to

keep

their

animals

healthy

in

order

to

produce

safe

beef

products.

CarefulandjudicioususeofanimalantibioticsisonewayAmericasbeefproducershelpan

animalregainormaintainexcellenthealthwhileproducingsafe, wholesomeandnutritious

beef.Ifcattledogetsick,itisimportanttoworkwiththeveterinariantomakesurecattle

arecorrectlydiagnosedandgiventhecorrectantibiotic.


24/33

Beef Packing ProcessAftercattlehave

beenfed

they

are

thensoldtoameat

packingplantwhen

theyare18to22

monthsoldand

weighbetween

1,000to1,250

pounds.


25/33

Supermarkets and

Restaurants

Beef

is

Shipped

to

lots

of

different

places

soyoucanbuyit!

GroceryStores Quick ServiceRestaurants Restaurants

AfterCattleareprocessedthebeefistransportedtowholesaleoutletswhothendistribute

theBeeftoSupermarketsandRestaurants.Retailersandrestaurantstakethefinalstepsto

ensurethesafetyandqualityofbeeffortheircustomers.

Beefproducersareproudtoprovideawidevarietyofbeefchoicestomeetthechanging

lifestylesandnutritionalneedsofconsumers.


26/33

AllBeefIs...

Sowhataboutlabeling?Istherereallyadifference?Rememberthatallbeefis


27/33

BeefCanBe...

AtthegrocerystoretherearedifferentlabelsontheBeef.Whatdotheymean?


28/33

Nutritious

Beef

A

3

ounce

serving

of

lean

beefcontributeslessthan10percentof

caloriestoa2,000caloriedailydiet,yetitsanexcellentsourceof

protein,zinc,vitaminB12,seleniumand

phosphorus;andisa

goodsource

of

niacin,

vitaminB6,iron,andriboflavin.


29/33

Working

Together

By

working

together

thecattlefarmers,

ranchers,

consumers,and

government

agencieshave

helpedmakeour

beefsupplythe

safestin

the

world!


30/33

FromPasturetoPlate:TheLegacyContinues

Kidsontodaysfarmsandrancheshopesomedaytocontinuethegreatlegacyofproducinghighqualitybeef,justlikethe

generationsbeforethem.

Byprotecting

their

land

and

the

health

of

their

animals,

the

foodgrowingfamiliesoftodaywillbeabletocontinuethisAmericantradition.


31/33

ItismorethanjustajobforbeefItismorethanjustajobforbeef

producers,itproducers,itsawayoflife.sawayoflife.


32/33

Broughttoyoubythe

IdahoBeefCouncil


33/33

Additional Resources &

Lesson Suggestions

UpperElementary: HavealocalFarmer/Rancherwhoraisescattlecome

andspeaktotheclass

Talkabouttheprocessthatwasdiscussed.Askfor

feedbackonwhatnewthingsstudentslearned

Writea1pagepaperaboutwhattheylearned.Have

studentsincorporatetheirownexperienceswithwhat

theyknowandhavelearnedaboutthecattle

productionprocess.

beef from pasture to plate 2012 notes

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