The Cost of Corn-Fed Cattle

[hastingr]

Our food system is wrong, immoral, non-nutrition, as many calories for as little money as possible. The only solution is to buy you food from a local farmer.

[llgrannis]

BlogShag.. you need to learn more about food and food source if you are calling cacao hulls "candy" - OMG! I nearly doubled over laughing! I suppose you'd accuse Wagyu steers of being drunkards because they are finished with the byproducts of beer production!

[Elfkinator]

@llgrannis He says in the video there are M&M pieces in the "cacao" mix. Just remember you are what you eat!

[FathomlessJoy]

Want the truth about local, free range, organic, grass fed, "loving" meat you get?

watch?v=xPaQKbldSI0&feature=re­lated <--- this is the way it is done. Notice the calf has got to be alive to drain the blood, so they keep poking it in the eyes while it bleeds from the bolt to the head, to ensure that it stays alive.

Think you have found a kind, loving way to eat diseased rotting animal carcass? Think again! You are being exploited at twice the price.

[sfrance783]

I remember our place...my mom nurtured cattles there...

[MrBagginsEsq]

This is ridiculus.

[MrBagginsEsq]

Hay? Any one? OH! How about weeds! Mowed Grass? Unmowed Grass! And what about the stocks from all that corn your giving them huh?

[showandfeedhelp101]

that's why 4-h,ffa, and grange kids get more money because they have the money to feed the calves more natually although we are feeding them grain but it is much healthier for them than what the farmers are feeding them the grain that we normally uses consits of mainly theese things oats, corn, molasses, and barley etc. along with a grassy hay. therefore the meat tastes and is alot better for everybody compared to the farmers

[kaiser820]

let me get this straight. they feed cows corn kernals but aslo feed the M&Ms and Mars waste? That is pour corn because the last time i checked candy bars were made with corn syrup... We are all corn feed!!

[hawkhulk]

That is why I avoid eating beef unless it is grass fed, Amish or kosher.

[aide1984]

Just one more reason to not eat beef.

[ETRNLIZ]

Raising animals on pasture requires more knowledge and skill than sending them to a feedlot. For example, in order for grass-fed beef to be succulent and tender, the cattle need to forage on high-quality grasses and legumes, especially in the months prior to slaughter. Providing this nutritious and natural diet requires healthy soil and careful pasture management so that the plants are maintained at an optimal stage of growth. -Jo Robinson (grass farmer)

[ETRNLIZ]

It's expensive to eat good food. The cost of eating cheap food (corn fed cattle) is not money , it's your health. Save cash by riding your bike, then spend it on sustainable/healthy food. I've been doing this for 2 years now and everyone thinks I look 10 years younger than I really am.

[MixeTube]

who gives a shit. We use corn, and get MORE beef, FASTER. Sounds good to me.

[dexter31able]

Don't forget ot mention the fact that almost all cattle are 'bred' on grass not grain

[wxyzca2000]

We feed them phone books,It's cheaper and they gain 100 pounds or more,Ca$h money in your pocket.They feed them the phone books while they're at the feed lot,standing in $H!T,up to the knees.

[ilikeatla]

M&M'S? That doesn't sound like normal cow food to me.

[whiterose88888889]

eat a teak

[smokemansmoker]

Now I know how chocolate milk is made. They feed the cows hershy products.

[donze52]

I grow my own corn, Black old Indain corn, for decades. No hybrid is allowed on my place, less production, YES but I don't have to pay $160 a bag for seed corn.

We also do not use pesiticde, We found a plant used as a suntea spray does not kill but rather has a taste bugs dislike. So our crop is safe and it is free.

as for cattle and meat, we on the bottom of the dollar gave up on meat years ago.

[MonsterCrypt]

**** These people are true EcoCowboys! Visit us at wwwecocowboyscom ****

[DeADKband]

Start marking the grass fed beef as such, I'll pay more for that.

[ballersack]

hmm, maybe we could just eat the corn, and not the cattle...

[takadi]

I always wondered: WHY corn? I know it makes cows fat as shit, but corn is probably the most inefficient plant to grow. It requires a HUGE amount of nitrogen fertilizer and land space, and in the end, you only get about two or three cobs per stalk. Most of it is indigestible, to both humans and ruminants. Indians would be having laugh at us if they knew that the crop they gave to the white man whom destroyed them is now returning the favor

[nandottt]

@takadi Why corn? Because it is the plant with which the farmer can produce the most energy per surface unit. Corn silage produces twice as much energy as pasture per surface unit, and it is very cheap to grow, almost half cheaper as making hay. Besides that, cattle don't eat just cobs but also stalks. And also corn evolved from grass not long ago, so it is a type of grass.

[takadi]

There is a reason why it is cheap to grow. It's because the corn industry is massively subsidized and the economies of scales are enormous. Any loss experienced from growing corn anyway is made up from government grants.

[nandottt]

corn is cheap because you don't have a lot of work with it: you only harvest it once. grass has to be harvested 4 times, which uses a lot more time and fuel. and machines to grind corn into corn silage are cheap for farmers to buy.

[takadi]

Corn may produce more energy per surface unit, but that's because it also biologically consumes more energy as well. Also, any potential gains from corn is lost through the numerous antibiotics used because corn does a number on their immune system. Extra energy corn provides is stored as unhealthy fats and the cow poops out the excess nitrogen. Result: huge runoff from cow poop AND fertilizer.

[nandottt]

farming is nothing else than conversion of one type of energy into another. nitrogen into corn into milk. if you can do this conversion faster and cheaper with corn why not? "machines" which convert corn into milk are cows for now, but in the future someone will invent some machine that will make similar chemical reactions that cows make that will convert nitrogen directly into milk. and extra energy from corn doesn't go into fat, its converted into milk or meat.

[ronmexico27]

@nandottt You're an idiot. That's not why farmers feed their cows corn. It's because corn is heavily subsidized by the U.S. government. Everyone knows that.

[nandottt]

@ronmexico27 it's not subsidized in my country Slovenia and farmers grow corn most widely of all plants, besides grass. Does that mean you are an idiot?

[ronmexico27]

@nandottt Did you even bother reading my comment in context of what it replied to? Who the hell cares if farmers in your shitty, Third World country grow corn. I was talking about how farmers in the US feed their cows corn instead of grass. The reason American farmers feed their cattle corn is because it's cheaper to produce and buy corn. The effect of not feeding cattle grass leads to multiple diseases including E. coli, which there has been more than a couple outbreaks of in the US.

[nandottt]

@ronmexico27

i said farmers feed corn to cattle because its cheaper than grass.

u replied that is not true reason and that true reason is because corn is subsidized by government.

then in next comment you say farmers feed corn to cattle because its cheaper than grass.

make up your mind.

feeding only corn silage is not good for animals. best combination is 1/3 corn silage, 1/3 grass silage and 1/3 hay. that's how farmers in our "third world county" do it.

[nandottt]

@ronmexico27

i said farmers feed corn to cattle because its cheap.

then you said that is not true reason and that true reason is because corn is subsidized by government.

then you said farmers feed corn to cattle because its cheap.

make up ur mind kid!

btw good farmer wont feed only corn silage to cattle, because that will make them ill, and balance between energy and protein is not right. good farmer will feed 1/3 corn silage, 1/3 grass silage and 1/3 hay.

[ronmexico27]

@nandottt Do you even know what "subsidized" means? It means that the government is making the prices of corn cheaper! Please read my comments in context and stop cherry picking the comment you think will win you the argument.

[nandottt]

@ronmexico27 i know what subsidized means. but it looks

like u don't know that corn is cheap to grow already without government subsidizing it. farmers would grow a lot of corn anyway. it doesnt make any sense for corn to be subsidized. here in our "third world country" corn is not subsidized. instead clover is subsidized, and mowing grass on hilly lands where otherwise trees would start growing. i guess usa is fucked up more than we are.

[SSJ2Starscream]

we could all go to a all organic life style like cattle being all natural no growth hormone or chemicals we just have to decrease the human population

[johnsenkenn]

They are only getting 20 - 30 dollars a head, he can't mean a 1 year old head ?.

[spencertron88]

we need to find ways to clone grass...

[laosboyyy]

the most fucked up and wrong things in this world happens because of money.. not just this, but 99% of everything you see thats you disapprove of is beacuse of money.. this video just made me realize that..

[haramacad]

what the fuck cow naturally not feed corn that is bull crap let a cow in a farm of corn and grass it will go direct to the corn i really tried cow really love corn specially when it is two month they really love it and don't corn is part of grass family .

[FXThug]

WTf were feeding cows m&Ms LOLOL

[187Maiku]

"This is not a steak" haha

[Boldra255]

those cow always have 80% of e-coli disease when they are eating corn.

[steer1300]

@Boldra255 So do the cows on pasture. Its a natural bacteria from manure. Guess what, If you cook your meat to over 160 you can kill all of the e-coli and won't have to worry about it. Thats why the USDA continues to stress not to eat raw meat

[WhenxChristxReturnsx]

Wow. That guy doesn't even know if he's had grass-fed beef before. That's just sad.

[tmomof6]

The rising price of corn is the governments fault. I'm from Indiana the corn state. There are 5 farmers i know who receive a stipend for NOT GROWING CORN. If everyone grew corn who could the price would bottom out of the market like it has done with Strawberries this year. So many farmer grew strawberries this year that in FL they are destroying crops so that they can keep the price at $2. a pound vs the 25 cents that it will be if all crops go to market, all due to PRICE FIXING.

[ckfarm]

Cattle as garbage disposers....How sad. God made the cow a herbivore, maybe we should keep it that way. No e-coli if we follow the laws of creation. Healthy omega 3 fatty acids and CLA. What is the health cost to humans eating that toxic beef. Not to mention the poisons used to grow the garbage corn, and kill the diseases and parasites. Grass is inefficient? LOL! This nation supported 40 to 60 million Buffalo on GRASS. Today, we have 45 million cattle. Not very efficient is it?

[steer1300]

@ckfarm There also weren't any people here back then. Take out all the ground used by cities, roads, and other man made structures. Thats a pretty big chunk. Now take out the western desserts, then the farmland used to grow produce and grains. Not very much left. Then take out that used by other livestock and you have a small small fraction left. And there are over 300 million mouths to feed in the country and over 6 billion in the world. grass fed is not efficient.

[ckfarm]

@steer1300 Are you forgetting that the ground used to grow corn would be pasture, like it used to be? Grazing is by far the best use of all land, from the prairie soils that were built by grazing, to the marginal land that can be greatly improved by mob stock grazing. Where is the efficiency in gov. subsidies, poisons of every sort polluting everything and killing our children, fuel, fuel, and more fuel to haul grain, haul fuel, haul/apply poisons, haul animals. It is a JOKE! Grass=Health

[steer1300]

@ckfarm We grow other things than just corn. Different kinds of corn like popcorn and sweet corn, vegetables, cotton, fruit, nuts, etc. Would you rather burn 100% fossil fuels in your car shipped over from the middle east which would take more money and cause more pollution or truck something 10 miles down the road to get turned into alcohol. For the last time corn and other crops are only subsidized when the value is too low to pay the bills or the weather wipes out our crop.

[ckfarm]

@steer1300 The gov. sends checks every year for major commodities. The Environmental Working Group puts the list on the internet of every farmer in America and how much they get each year. We can still grow human food in rotation with the grass. Ethanol is beyond a joke! Even many conventional farmers I talk to realize that. Oil companies LOVE ethanol with all the fuel it takes to plant, spray poison, harvest, dry the corn, haul the corn, make the ethanol, dry the distillers, Grass IS the future

[steer1300]

@ckfarm But not every farm gets checks every year. The demand for con and soybeans and other crops is too great to plant the farm in grass for a year. Grass takes several years to get a good establishment. I would much rather see the corn grown in this country in my fuel tank than the middle easts oil. We could save all the oil needed to truck corn then we could use it all and more to ship oil across the ocean here. Corn burns cleaner and there are many places to haul it to process it.

[RussianAlfonso]

"let them eat cake!" ;-) Seriously- the reason corn is so cheap is because it's heavily subsidized by gov't, and even after doubling in price, it's much less expensive than it would otherwise. Subsidized corn is what makes feedlots economical. There are economic is

[RussianAlfonso]

There are economic issues here. Corn subsidies are distorting beef prices and other agricultural markets. Which may explains why WSJ is covering this.

[steer1300]

@RussianAlfonso Farmers only recieve a government farm subsidy when prices are too low to pay the bills or the weather ends up destroying a crop. It is basically an insurance. Our farm has not got a single farm subsidy dollar for 4 years

[StumpRidgeBeef]

Not all beef is raised as in the WSJ video. Above is a video of some of my calves running laps after moving them & their cows to fresh pasture in my Wisc rotational grazing system. My cattle are NOT fed candy. They grow on grass from May to Nov and hay over winter. From Jan thru Mar they also graze standing corn. My vet & I run them thru the chute twice a year. They get vacinated like our kids but no antibiotics, This is humane, tasty, nutritous natural, beef. Buy local. There are alternates

[BlogShag]

Now they're feeding cows junk food and candy? Oh my god, what has the world come to? Ridiculous. I knew there was a reason I avoid eating beef, and never do I eat cheap beef

[kstateninja1]

If corn fed beef in the store was selling for $1.99 per pound, how much would an average person be willing to pay for grass fed?

[drahm33]

This video is full of half truths. I am sick of people that don't know anything about animal science, plant science, nutrition, and farming in general running there mouths about farming.

[Antidote54]

"And cattle he has created for you: From them you derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and of their meat you eat. And you have sense of pride and beauty in them as you drive them home in the evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning. And they carry your heavy loads to lands that you could not reach except with souls distressed: for your Lord is indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful"

[Holy Qur'aan16:5-8]

[BLUEANGEL7777777777]

Seriously, I thought cattle were like 1000 bucks or so a head. Maybe that's what the fed pays.

Because farmers are HIGHLY REGULATED/RESTRICTED.

[BLUEANGEL7777777777]

If all americans paid 30% more to contribute to the pupose of this, This movement could grow extensively and eventually when stable and efficient, would become as common, as our poor quality meat today.

The original natural way, is not inefficient, only underfunded from people with an oppressed economy Due to cheap federal subsidies.

END THE FED, and all angles of economy and quality will get better.

[steer1300]

as a feedlot owner i know for a fact that our cattle (fed on a high corn/hay ration) do not have digestive problems. Because cattle are ruminants they can digest almost any plant material (the plant and seed) with no problems unless the feed is rotten then complications could occur but this isn' t very common. Grain fed beef has mor flavor and is more tinder due to marbling or small amounts of fat in the meat. grass fed beef really isn't that much lower in fat and is generally tougher.

[Faith9120]

all farmers that are in the farming business for the bucks and not for producing good quality meats/dairy should quit the business!!! Get back to ethics in farming and stop making people sick and killing us with your greed for money and qucik production. I couldn't believe that farmer has never had grass fed cattle. He's not a farmer, he's stickly a business man.

[BLUEANGEL7777777777]

THE federal government forces the incentives of everything in the economy.

Don't blame farmers, they would love to produce original quality (best).

The are forced under federal restrictions.

End the Fed, Restore food quality, at cheap prices.

[steer1300]

Believe me if farming made alot of money more people would be doing it. More people are getting out of farming than are getting started. Our meats, grains, and vegetables are the safest in the world because everything goes through many inspections.  If you would cook your meat to 180 degrees you will kill all of the ecoli and saminila in the meats. Don't blame the farmers for poor nutrition blame the companies that mix the ingredients

[InFromTheVoid]

why don't they feed the cattle hemp??

Doesn't eating the corn cause them gut problems leading to infections then they get ecoli because of it (mostly from being in their poop all day)

[cuvtixo]

@InFromTheVoid Yes. The acidity in their stomachs increases on a steady diet of corn (which usual includes corn stalks and other parts of corn plants). This leads to problems in the digestive system, but can be reversed by introducing (or re-introducing) the cattle to a grass diet.

[steer1300]

Cattle that are fed corn are given hay or silage to ease their digestive tracts. So you can feed more corn longer.

[mobeefqueen]

Corn is perfectly fine for cattle's digestive tracts. It is very efficient and cattle are fed scientifically formulated diets that fit the cattle's needs for growth and body function. They are safe for their digestive tract as well as human consumption.  Ecoli does not occur because corn is fed to them. Ecoli can be cooked out of the meat by cooking to 180 degrees.

[InFromTheVoid]

ya........that's what I just told a family member. To cook there meat really good.

[pfccaleb]

the less money you put in your livestock the shittier the meat gets

[IluvABbeef]

The less money you spend on meat the shittier it is.

[DuoSonic87]

UM .. did I hear right?

$20-$30 dollars per head?

are you kidding me?

If i were to buy a cow for myself, I now expect to pay $30 a head..

[ottomobile69]

they only make 20-30 dollars profit for every cow they raise might cost them 1000 dollars to raise they sell it for 1030 and make 30 dollars off it not much profit for them u should be paying 1000 if u were to buy a cow depends if its live or dead u pay per the lbs if its dead

[Zeamus634]

WTF feeding chocolate to cattle!?!?!?!

[JonGarrett2008]

not only do they eat chocolate but they also drink soda. the soda helps settle their stomach.

eating chocolate is news to me though.

[Zeamus634]

fizzy drinks don't settle anything.

[JonGarrett2008]

maybe not for you and me but does for cattle. they drink plenty of soda. not necessarily coke or pepsi but carbonated water I should say.

[Piscivorus]

Most people only like meat because they've never had to kill it. They've grown up ripping it out of plastic packages. Well plastic packages don't fight and scream when you're ripping their guts out. If people had to kill what they ate, they'd only eat milk, eggs, and fish. That's all I eat anyway.

[pbhello]

that might happen at first, but then i think most people would eventually start killen cattle

[SurleyHatred]

Guess what. dead deer or cows dont fight and scream when the you are field dressing. yankee.

[IluvABbeef]

They're already dead when they're being gutted. Duh!

[JonGarrett2008]

most people like meat because it tastes good.

[Piscivorus]

It only tastes good to people because it's what they're used to. If you had never tasted or smelled anything animal other than dung, roadkill, and various glandular secretions, I doubt you'd be as thrilled about the taste or smell of meat, raw or cooked. My point is that it's entirely a matter of culture and upbringing.

[Reubenhubert]

I have read about grass fed beef. Lower in calories and fat, higher in protein. It's harder to find than grain fed beef. Even small scale farmers fatten cattle before selling by feeding grain because everybody knows that it's the "right" way to raise cattle.

[saveallanimals7]

Is so sad you abuse so many innocent and loving animals, people who are able to hurt animals can also hurt humans, I hope one day very soon you heal and stop hurting innocent animalls, I am so sorry you mother gave birth to a monster like you are

[IluvABbeef]

Oh come off it. Where was it mentioned in the vid or to whomever that animals were being hurt and abused???

[SkeeterGonzalez]

I am sorry that dumb asses like you dont understand that most ORDINARY humans love the taste of beef. If you dont want to look at this site then by all means do a search on vegan and spend your time on the numerous post about that. Oh and the comment about our mothers giving birth to us..............I am sorry I haven't met her, I have been horny as hell for three days now.

[Swissfarmer82]

Hey Man

Thanks for the your Clip !! In Switzerland we make the mix...

The Cattles gos out and eat gras and inside we feed a Grain Mix ( Barley Weaht CCM and Oats ) and Hay ...

AND Nowbody in Switzerland owns 4000 Cattle :-)

[enchilada01]

what exactly is the purpose of feeding corn to cattle besides the cost? does it help it gain weight in a speedy fashion?

[IluvABbeef]

Corn is a way to yes, put on weight quicker so that the meat is more tender as well as the end point time that the cattle need to reach their target weight. Cattle tend to take longer to reach their target weight if they are on grass alone; they are also leaner on a grass-only diet.

[enchilada01]

how about dry feed like dry alfalfa or dry cornstalk, i understand those also help in the fattening process, maybe not as good as corn though

[IluvABbeef]

Enchilada, it all depends on the operation. If you mean dry cornstalks as in crop residue grazing, the cattle are still going to have access to the grain corn, and that would be from either waste spilt off the harvester or not picked up off the cobs.

Alfalfa cubes are another, though slightly slower, alternative to grain, yes. Same with GOOD QUALITY alfalfa hay and some types of grass hay.

[Reubenhubert]

Corn feeding is like a person eating nothing but candy. Higher weight quicker, but it's mostly fat and really not a healthy diet.

[IluvABbeef]

I totally agree, reuben.

[feliccias]

Instead of feeding the cows the M&Ms and eating beef, lets have M&Ms for dinner

[corinthian93]

For each pound of beef you eat, there is about 20 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere

[IluvABbeef]

Since when is someone going to eat a pound of beef in one sitting??

MAtter of fact i think this is pure bullshit..

[roby000]

One pound of beef is (dun dun DUN) 16 oz. With people sitting down to a large steak they could easily eat that much without realizing it. A 9 oz steak is considered small in a restaurant. And that family of four all eating steaks? Well, I'll let you do the math.

[IluvABbeef]

Dummy, I wasn't referring to the mathematics of a pound of steak. I was more going on the CO2 shit.

[Blakerey]

trust me, it's only corn fed beef people are eating 16 oz portions of. My wife and I tried grass fed beef for the first time about 6 months ago. I am normally the type of person who can eat an entire pound in one sitting no problem. So, when we bought the steaks, we got one 6 oz, and one 8 oz, and were scared it wouldn't be enough. neither one of us could finish. It was much tastier too. Haven't bought corn fed beef since.

[drahm33]

Whoever wrote what this man is saying doesn't know what they are talking about. Those feedlot type animals are bought from farms where the mothers raise them till weaning on grass. This man is comparing these two parts of the industry when they are a two part system that need each other for prices to stay low. The idea of grazing cattle till slaughter is not practical and is pushed by peta type people trying to eliminate meat or people without knowledge of the subject, commonly same people

[IluvABbeef]

No drahm you got it wrong. The narrator is just comparing finishing cattle on grass with finishing cattle on corn.

The idea of finishing cattle on pasture IS practical and is being practiced by a few producers around, selling beef locally through direct marketing. One such producer that does this is Joel Salatin. I don't see anything how this finishing cattle on pasture is a PETA thing. Maybe you could enlighten me further on that?

[beaelliott]

What's it going to take to get people to see that animal agriculture is not sustainable!Not by the small farmer because he can't make profits, and not by the industrical feedlots cause you're going to run out of alternative "food" for cows:m&m's, cocoa husks, cookies, cardboard and bluejeans are not what cows eat!! We need to convert to a clean, sustainable healthy plant based diet. Grow veggies for people- not animals. Farmer are supposed to feed the world. Do it with *real* food not "meat".

[IluvABbeef]

Oh shut up. Livestock agriculture is sustainable enough to use animals to graze in areas that crops and veggies and fruits cannot be grown, and to eat the plants that we can't. A lot of the spoiled food that restaurants throw out can be and are fed to livestock, which makes for less waste in the landfills.

And farmers do feed the world. There are markets for exporting meat to other countries, among other things.

[roby000]

Livestock agriculture is NOT sustainable. Ever seen "shit creek?" The amount of grain it takes to produce meat is astronomical. Also, the food that restaurants discard could easily be used for compost to nourish crops, so it definitely wouldn't be going to waste.

[IluvABbeef]

Here we go again. Grain, grain grain...can't you folks see and understand that livestock agriculture is used because of certain areas that CANNOT be used for mass fruit, veggie and crop production are instead used for raising livestock?

Sure food that is disgarded is used as compost, hell even I know that...but what's wrong with feeding leftovers to livestock?

And as for the "shit creek" thing you're throwing out there, that only comes from mismanagement and feedlot production.

[apicreativemedia]

Out of all the land that is used for agriculture only 51% is not suitable for going gain or other crops on. By using the grass to feed cows and other livestock we are being sustainable. We can create a nutrient rich product - beef.

[SkeeterGonzalez]

Beaelliott, you just proved yourself to be an idiot. Before you continue to post these "all knowing" post to try and show the world how intelligent you are maybe you should consider starting off with something of a smaller scale. Most people could read a book or do a little research, in your case, I would try and master the frisbee.

[BowmanFarm]

Google "eatwild."

Site search for "Omega-3" and "CLA" which grain fed animals lack.

[joshuak47]

they're also feeding the cows M&Ms??

women, would you want to drink other humans' milk?

or eat "human milk chocolate?"

[farmerguy4020]

Curious as to when this video was made,as of nov 2008 corn has "halved" with prices of grains falling along with stocks. Pa. isn't in the top ten states in cattle feeding or raised. Most cattle in feedlots are not owned by the feedlot themselves. They are custom fed for customers albeit speculators or ranchers that raised the cattle to feeding weights. Grassfed beef can not typically compete economically with with grainfed beef or beef finished with grain byproducts as it takes much longer.

[IluvABbeef]

Grain-fed beef is becoming those corporate farming practices that have become more popular now than ever. Seems to be the only way for anyone to make money off of cattle.  Unfortunately, for the grain-fed producers, grass-fed does seem to be gaining in popularity from the consumer's standpoint as well as the producers; healthier beef, and a low-cost way of producing beef. Maybe in the macroeconomical context GrassFB won't compete, but in comparison with input costs of GrainFB...

[IluvABbeef]

The fact that feedlot cattle are going for less than grass-fed cattle is because of cost of production. It costs more to feed out a steer on grain than it does on grass, even though the times to finish them out are different. And it's all because of corn too, the fact that "cheap corn" is used to feed these guys out, as well as the influences of the petroleum industry. That's why feedlot producers don't get very much $/hd from the cattle.

[takamineg]

I'm a beef farmer. More people need to buy the meat direct and know where it is coming from and we could cut out the middle man. Grass roots! it can save this country!

[IluvABbeef]

Amen, takamineg!

[fhjiii]

@takamineg, this is pure fantasy. I too am a beef farmer. When I take a steer to to the local processing facility they will charge upwards of $300.00 for processing and packagaging. Yet if I toll process larger numbers thru a lager more efficent company the charge is only $25. The "middle" man operates on economies of scale and efficiencies. They reduce the cost of food for everyone. So I buy my beef from the local grocery store even though I have over 2000 head of my own to pick from.

[majesticfeet]

@takamineg I tried to find out about buying 'healthy meat' and couldn't find anyone that sold it. If you know how I can find a source I would love it....John....Southern California

[semisavage]

@takamineg exactly. Go to grassrootsfarmvt. com this guy gets it.

[UnifyingLifedotCom]

Slim, It's not the farmer that's getting ripped off, it's the "feeder" This guy is buying cattle and feeding them this grain / byproduct ration for a few months and then selling them to a butcher, or he could actually just be getting paid by the cattle owner to put fat on the animals.

It's sad that he's never had grass fed beef I would want to research the competition before I got into the grain feeding business.

[slimydick23]

I had to listen to the part at 0:55 about four times and I still can't believe it. It said that they only get about 20-30 dollars per head of cattle. Are you kidding me? Two small steaks of about 6 ounces each at the store cost at least 5 dollars. Cattle farmers are getting ripped off.

[farmmo4ever]

What they said is not correct. it may be that in in end they profit 20-30 dollars per head.

I cant remember the last market report but I think prices are like $0.90/per live pound.

they are getting more then 20-30 dollars per head.

[workoutchamp]

You are confusing retail and wholesale. If we buy an 800 pound beef for 1.00/pound = $800. We keep it all summer and fall and sell it in the winter, it is now 1,000 pound - and we get .90/pound = $900. (the more they weigh, the lower the price per pound), That is a $100 gross profit. Now take off fuel to transport them, one had a vet bill of $200, the tractor ($50,000) to feed them hay, fuel for the tractor ($3./gal).

[workoutchamp]

Now you are starting to see that farming is a love of the land, animals, rugged lifestyle, being outdoors and not necessarily a profit.

Now what if cattle go down to .80/pound?

[broncrider40]

maybe you need to buy a ranch big enough to fatten enough cattle feed the state your in and see what the profifts are

[ewhi1]

Once again, Corporate America cuts the corners to increase profits with the consumer ultimately losing out. Corn fed beef simply does not compare to the grass fed variety in regards to quality and taste.

GOD HELP US! These fuck wits are feeding cows chocolate to fuel profits. What is the world coming to?

[tator121]

there doing it so they can simply stay in business. i hate to say it but this whole thing traces back the fuel costs.