Very interesting article that ran recently in The Atlantic.
I don’t necessarily agree with the comments about commercial animal agriculture, but I do appreciate the other comments about eating meat. I think it is important to know where your food comes from and how it is produced, however.
Here is a good video about today’s demand for beef, and how cattle ranchers are meeting that demand with fewer resources.
Check out this story my collegue at the Greeley Tribune wrote on Walmart carrying choice cuts
Experts praise Walmart, other stores’ move to sell higher-grade meat
Here are my thoughts:
I think this is awesome. With the economy the way it is, people are trying to cut back, and that means shopping at cheaper stores, such as Walmart.
When it comes to the retail meat case, previously Walmart only carried Select grade. This means that this is what consumers were buying. Now that they have decided to carry Choice cuts, this will allow consumers to purchase high grade meat.
This will greatly help the beef industry because it will help local demand. Currently, the beef industry is having record prices, but that is mainly due to the export demands. Although this is expected to continue, an increased demand for higher grade cuts in the U.S. will help producers to continue producing the high quality, safe, nutritious product that they currently produce.
The drought last year caused the cattle herd to continue to shrink, as the price of feedstuffs skyrocketed and people could not longer afford to keep their cattle. Even though feeder and fed cattle prices are they highest they have ever been, the profit margin for cattlemen has stayed roughly the same.
Walmart carrying higher cuts will allow beef producers to continue to receive premiums for carcasses that grade choice, because they sell so much meat. I would definitely count this as a win for the beef industry!!
