a food with a unique and complex lifecycle
Objectives: Review why beef production is making headlines Review new human protein research Discuss how to talk about cows with city people
Beef production 101: 96% of US Beef Cattle
Common Production questions How are cattle raised? Are they well cared for? Where do they live? What do they eat? Do you give them drugs? Are they causing global warming? Average person is now 3+ generations removed from agriculture
Are they well cared for? Animal Welfare Standards in the USA & Canada Beef Quality Assurance
Loss of trust = Audits
Where do cattle live?
Urban development converted 18 million acres of ag land.
What do they eat? 85% of the feed cattle consume cannot be eaten by humans. The greenhouse gas emission footprint per animal is lower in North America compared to other regions due to efficiency of production and high quality feed.
Should this land be used to feed people instead of cows? Montana Kansas Arizona Texas New York Florida
Cattle on Feed
Feedlots: Why North American Beef has a lower environmental impact 80% are family owned Animal health managed by licensed veterinarians and ruminant nutritionists Ongoing training for handlers in Animal welfare
Do you give them drugs? Judicious use of antibiotics as defined by Beef Quality Assurance Veterinary Feed Directive Veterinary involvement 33 percent decline between 2016 and 2017
Hormone Free does not Exist
Everyone s has a part to play Good Animal Husbandry Aim for Disease Prevention Keep everything as clean as possible Vaccinate Good nutrition Good Basic Hygiene Wash your hands properly Prepare food hygienically Limit close contact with others when you are sick
Beef s water footprint
Green house gas emissions: USA vs global
Doing more with less
4.2% of total GHG from animal agriculture Soil management Methane gas Manure management Liming and Urea application, burns, etc
Calculate your carbon footprint
Hides and leather Organ meats Pet food alone = $10 billion industry
Trendy Contributions of Beef
Nutrition 101: Fat was demonized in the 60 s due to flawed research Protein Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA s) are based on minimums needed for functioning, not the optimum Not all protein includes all of the essential amino acids (leucine) Sarcopenia begins about when we are 30 years old; we can combat it with diet and physical exercise
Overconsumption KANSAS
Americans are not eating too much protein Beef = more protein Beef = less calories
sarcopenia Research shows older people need more protein PER MEAL to maintain muscle and more weight bearing exercise 6 ounce serving
Science says: Consume adequate protein and divide it into 3 meals each day
This lady does not need meatless Monday
Agriculture talks to non agriculture Would you pay more for better cattle?
Agriculture language Better genetics Better feed conversion Less injection site lesions Less carcass bruising Bigger framed Yield efficiencies Profit 1980 s conversation Non agriculture language Better pricing Less fat Consistent size Value added Where can I buy it?
2019 conversation Will you pay more for more sustainably raised cattle? Agriculture language Non ag language Higher input costs Lower efficiencies More illness More labor More land Less pounds Grass finished No antibiotics No hormones No confined feeding No GMO s Locally raised Certified humanely raised Less environmental impact
2019 conversation Agriculture Language Animal health & welfare Beef Quality Assurance Preventative medicine Less antibiotics Grassland Management Cover crops, rotational grazing Protein upcycling By product recyclers Intensified food production to meet global food demands Non Agriculture Language Price neutral Local Humanely raised No hormones No antibiotics No confined feeding Reduced environmental impact Grass fed On my GPO program
Points to Highlight in Conversation Cattle turn inedible food for humans into high quality protein Upcyclers Americans do not eat too much protein Plant protein often requires larger portions and more calories to meet nutritional requirements for protein, amino acids and other vitamins Less Beef does not fix global warming US Agriculture has delivered better beef more sustainability and will continue to make improvements
Focus on what we can do now to be more sustainable
Eat a balanced diet Eat beef the size of a deck of cards three times a day!
REDUCE FOOD WASTE
Allow agriculture to use modern technology to produce beef and feed the world
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