Maxine and others

[Ben Roberts]

Maxine, are you in the cattle business, or the beef business?

And please everyone, lets keep this thread civil.

Ben Roberts

[RobertMac]

[PPRM]

A few years ago, I sold the majority of my calves to Tson Foods..I did well, but saw more pportunity in sellng meat direct. I got licensed to do so and set up with a USDA Inspecte Plant that is small....

I used to look at carcasses as far as graing and wt on the rail. I was into the Beef I raised, but not even close to what I donow...

I have kept prett care-free cattle as my hors have been very tied up.... I tell you one thing..The information on you and your operation is a novelty that will get some sales, but ultimately..You have to have the best danged Steaks, Roasts, Burger and other products that these folks have come accross... That is where your business grows and it can be astronomical and scary...

You have to be a bit inventive. I appreciate the Beef Council, but there is nothing like it being your dollar to come up with the best ways to have a carcas cut up... If you are wrong, you get rewarded with inventory that ties up freezer space and cash flow...

I am in the Beef business, both by hours and focus.. I love the cows and they are great reward, but I am in the Beef business both in statement and how I spend my time,


PPRM

[mrj]

Ben, what is your objective with that question?

I could not state it better than PPRM has.

However, we do not currently directly market our beef.

We are no less in the Beef Business because of that fact, however.

Anyone who raises cattle and does not realize they are truly in the Beef Business is serving neither themselves, nor their industry well, IMO.

Every management decision we make is with the quality of the end product, beef, in mind.

Cattle producers who don't consider beef quality when selecting breeding stock, animal health products, injecting meds and vaccines properly, moving/handling cattle properly, minimizing injuries or bruising, and every possible means of assuring a top quality beef product at the end, are either not aware, or don't care, that they really are in the Beef Business..........and there are too many cattle producers who are not beef producers!!!!!

mrj

[Ben Roberts]

[Ben Roberts]

[Clarencen]

I will jump in here. I am a cattle producer. There are so many things that happen to the product I sell that I have no control of, or that I have good enough knowledge of. My expertise is in producing cattle that will market well enough to make me a profit. I am just one segment of the beef industry.

I am no more a beef producer then the miner in Wyoming who mines coal, is a producer of electricity, or the iron miner a steel producer, or the wheat farmer a flour miller or a baker.

However I do need to be concerned of what the other people who are engaged in this same industry desire or what the consumer desires.

This is the reason, that while I do favor the beef checkoff, I am only luke warm to it. I am to far away from marketing, so I prefer to let those more familiar with it, do that job.

Now let me back up one step farther. In reality I am a harvester of grass and forage. I use cattle to harvest a product man can not eat, and try to convert it to the best product I am able to so, it can be made into something that is benefit to him.

In order to do this I have to have a great concern for the health and well being of my livestock. This includes proper handling to prevent injury, proper vaccinations, and providing as much comfort for them as I am able. Along with that I also must be concerned with the management of my grass and rangeland. This alone is a tall enough job for the rancher, so lets let the seed stock producer find the direction we must go for the right type of cattle we raise, and let the feeder, the packer and the marketer take care of their own end.

[RobertMac]

The vast majority of my income comes from selling beef.

[rustyjeep]

I have to agree with Clarencen, It fits my operation to a tee. Although in the future I hope to be able to direct market some beef, right now that is just not economically feesible in my area.

[Ben Roberts]

[RobertMac]

Ben, you are going to have to clarify the difference between Beef and Meat.
Here is how I see the industry(you can show me where I'm wrong)...

Producer

Feeder/Finisher

Processing/Packaging

Distribution

Marketing...putting the product into the hands of the consumer.

Each job has to make some profit from a calf. I do all these jobs except the processing/packaging(vertical integration) and get most of the value of my calves.

[PPRM]