Beef was king
“Beef is really not a good product, it is not consistent and it is a problem when it comes to climate change.”
Those were the words spoken on Rural Route Radio by a friend of mine, Damien McLoughlin, this past week. I know for a fact that most in the United States will be quick to point out that he is from Ireland and if only he had U.S. beef he wouldn’t have these issues. Wait a minute, if the only thing I knew about beef was what I read on Facebook, in the past three months I would have learned, from cattlemen themselves, that beef in the store is no good but beef directly from a rancher is best. I think the moral of the story here is that there is an image problem and we need to fix it.
I will admit to being as guilty as anybody else in the next statement but I am trying to fix it myself. If we spent as much time talking to the consumers we don’t know as we spend arguing with each other, there would not be a problem. Cattlemen are the worst when it comes to circling the wagons and shooting inward. Meanwhile, the 35-year-old mother of two is only looking at beef as a celebratory food for her family, if at all.
Let’s face it, the image of beef has never been worse. Top that off with the price gouging that is taking place right now and I would assume we are chasing folks off beef for sure. The American consumer is really not a beef eater anymore. Of all the beef consumed in the U.S. 54% is ground beef. How much of that is based on quality? With ground beef at $7 to $8 per pound and folks without jobs, how is that going to play out?
Furthermore, our leadership in the beef-marketing arena for years has not done us any favors. We love to market the middle meats. Don’t get me wrong. I am a bone-in ribeye guy. I love them. But how many people can afford a $16 per pound protein source in good times let alone in our current situation? I bring that up because last week Kelli threw an arm roast in the crockpot to cook as we spent the day working outside. I am not sure I have had a better beef eating experience anywhere. Or try some of my mother-in-law’s canned roast beef. It is probably not cut from a fatted calf but when it comes to a satisfying eating experience, it doesn’t get any better than that.
So why can’t we market beef for the true value it offers? It is the most nutrient dense food substance on the planet. When prepared properly, it is the most amazing eating experience on the planet. But at this moment some deep fryer dude in the convenience store is putting chicken tenders under a heat lamp and pushing beef further down in the consumption rankings. Why?
Because Damien is spot on—we spend all of our time talking to each other. We need a concerted effort in explaining the benefits of beef. We need to explain that the cow is a huge component of the climate cycle. We have a guy that explains how important grazing is to climate neutrality in Frank Mitloehner, the greenhouse gas guru. He has the data we need to support our stance but nobody outside of our ag community knows anything of it.
Two weeks ago I had the idea that we should all post pictures and videos of cows grazing on social media with #ClimateNeutrality. It was fun. A flood of pictures and videos showed up that day. The next day it was dead. The next day we were all back to arguing about how important mandatory country of origin labeling is. And if you think that concept fixes anything that I am discussing here, well, then you don’t understand the real issue.
The real issue is the infrastructure of beef production, in the U.S. and globally, has been slowly eroding. In 1976 beef was king. U.S. consumers ate more beef than any other protein source. Today, we are struggling to stay ahead of pork and fall into the third slot. What should really be the wake-up call is that the very people who are planting the seeds of doubt about beef are those invested in producing alternative protein supplies.
It may appear that I am really down on beef. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am down on continuing to do that same thing we have done since 1976 and expecting different results. Beef promotion entities can talk about the increase in total pounds sold but if they are ignoring declines in per capita consumption, they need to get their head out of the sand.
This is serious and the positive beef story is, at this moment, the greatest untold story to the consumers on the planet. So if it appears that I have disappeared, it is because I am engaging in the conversations that are so needed right now regarding the best protein substance we can produce that not only improves the planet but also human health like none other. Let’s talk before beef is completely off the table!
Editor’s note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].
