mpl35 said:

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So you claim the large industrial farms aren't lobbying, helping craft laws and regulations that prevent and constrain market entrants? I'm no farm expert but they do so in virtually every industry I know of. So I'd be very skeptical here...

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Most of the lobbying groups are representing a huge swath of producers. There is no "10000+ acre club" that has a lobbying team targeting those pesky 100acre growers. Perhaps on some local and state level influence on infrastructure investments, but not at a national level.

You also have to look at the policies that are at work in the agriculture sector. Almost all of the lobbying efforts are defensive. There is such enormous pressure on agricultural production from outside groups that are more centrally organized that we are often more focused on idiots trying to regulate methane from dairy cows, working against EPA activists to keep atrazine registered and glyphosate from being killed by the Endangered Species Act to be concerned with that 40 acre guy with 10 steers.

In fact, as CanyonAg77 mentioned, smaller operations are often exempted from all of the regulations AND being smaller they are not negatively impacted by the taxing policies targeting generational transitions with inheritance taxes.

Learned a lot reading all of this, marketing has an interesting way of convincing people. While I really like beef, we don't eat a lot for health reasons; and personally I am indifferent about where my beef comes from and just want it to be tasty. My wife, the buyer of most our food, does care about organic produce, free-range livestock, ethical agriculture, etc.

One question, are there any ethical differences for producing grain-fed and grass-fed cattle? I understand it maybe splitting hairs when you are slaughtering these animals in the end, but for some consumers they care.

Great thread - good luck to all of the small producers out there - if there is a lobby or organization we should be supporting please post so I can contribute to the cause

As a fence sitter who wants to learn more (we lease out our place currently) I'm curious -

Is there a way to have the best of both worlds?

Allow your cattle to finish off on grains that haven't been harvested/processed? Ie graze planted grains instead of grass and get grain fed taste/marbling?

Sorry for the newbie question.

texrover91 said:

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Great thread - good luck to all of the small producers out there - if there is a lobby or organization we should be supporting please post so I can contribute to the cause

As a fence sitter who wants to learn more (we lease out our place currently) I'm curious -

Is there a way to have the best of both worlds?

Allow your cattle to finish off on grains that haven't been harvested/processed? Ie graze planted grains instead of grass and get grain fed taste/marbling?

Sorry for the newbie question.

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Get involved with Farm Bureau at the state and local level. They are an extremely effective organization and tackle many of the issues brought up here. Their policy focus, lobbying efforts, and financial support teams are completely voted on by membership and you can easily get involved in the process.

Get involved in your commodity and breed organization as they are the ones that seek premium markets. These organizations vigorously work to benefit first time growers, multi generational farms, and those of us in the industry.

Federal govt restrictions on red meat. Biden is under-delivering despite pressure.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/23/biden-farmers-beef-climate-emissions-490237

This thread popped into my head when I saw this today:

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17899226872901800/

Long story short, a high end "lifestyle" meat market in LA has apparently been misleading customers about their meat.

What is the reasoning people want/think they want all grass-fed beef? Is there any perceived ethical issue with corn/grain finishing? Is it somehow "less sustainable"?

I certainly think lying to your customers is a really bad thing to do, but there are steakhouses in Texas that advertise their beef as corn-fed, and here we have places upcharging for the right to sell grass fed. I am pretty uneducated but a big fan of beef so want to understand more.

I'm planning to dip my toe into direct to consumer on a small number of head. Would like to keep track.

Interesting thread for sure.

Grass-fed beef is felt to be healthier.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/grass-fed-beef-good-for-you#1

thann07 said:

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I'm planning to dip my toe into direct to consumer on a small number of head. Would like to keep track.

Interesting thread for sure.

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Honestly the problem you are going to face is finding a processor with availability to get your steers in. Also unless you plan on selling whole/half steers then you need a processor with a USDA inspector to grade the carcass before you can sell the meat retail legally.

78_Pacecar said:

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thann07 said:

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I'm planning to dip my toe into direct to consumer on a small number of head. Would like to keep track.

Interesting thread for sure.

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Honestly the problem you are going to face is finding a processor with availability to get your steers in. Also unless you plan on selling whole/half steers then you need a processor with a USDA inspector to grade the carcass before you can sell the meat retail legally.

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The bolded is very, very important. I know a lot of people might be able to get by doing it another way, but they are taking a risk. I don't know what the fine/penalty is, but I wouldn't chance it.

ETA: Technically, the USDA or State inspector doesn't "grade" the carcass. Grading refers to quality; like Prime, Choice, Select, etc.

The important thing is that the packaging you get from your processing facility has the mark of inspection (aka inspection legend) on the packaging. If not, it's not legal for you to sell the individual packages.

USDA and TX inspection legends:

On average grass-fed beef is also described as an acquired taste which is unfortunate for the producer.

Some of these lines that are being bred and raised for beef production off grain aren't going to finish well on straight grass. I have been around both and currently raise a low-line cattle that is entirely finished on grass. I am doing so because I am a small producer that can't compete with big outfits. I can't compete with feed costs so the cheaper the feed input, the better. Disadvantages are plenty though. They take longer to finish out, have a smaller total product per head, and I will sale direct to the consumer by the whole or half, these are not sale barn cattle.

Advantages: smaller land footprint needed, barely a feed input, a small premium per pound, and lower percentage of carcass weight.

This really comes down to uneducated consumers. The Ag industry could do itself a wonder of help just by simply focusing on educating the consumer. I realize there have been some big improvements in that area in recent years but it needs to keep going.

I know this is minor, but it is one of my pet peeves.

Grass/Grain finished is the correct term.

Almost all beef is "grass fed".

Wanted to post a followup since this thread generated a fair amount of interest back when I started it.

My, the difference a couple months and some hustle makes. We ended up selling all our inventory for this year and have really had a ton of inquiries lately.

People are still generally very ignorant when it comes to beef production, but we've gotten our messaging down and are better at proactively answering questions before they're even asked.

We're thinking about sticking with this ranching model long-term, starting our own website, and posting videos that address some of the most common questions and misconceptions.

Quote:

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People are still generally very ignorant

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True as it may be, I think I'd keep this line off the website.