Throwing yourself under the bus

[MO_cows]

Sounds like ibetyamissedme wants everyone here to be a cheerleader and whatever they do to our product, we are supposed to sing their praises?? People here are being honest, big ag takes beef animals that could be supreme eating and makes them average a lot of the time. Home grown beef that never knew stress and gets aged properly and handled one carcass at a time with great care and isn't gassed to hold the color and infused with water is gonna be better to eat, period. Just like that red ripe tomato 5 minutes off the vine is better than anything you can find at the grocery store.

 

[MO_cows]

Now that doesn't mean I don't try to correct people who want to bad mouth beef for being fed GMO corn and allege that it is full of hormones and antibiotics and all those myths. But I don't lie about the fact that we prefer the beef in our freezer to anything at the store and most restaurants.

 

[highgrit]

All beef is good, just home grown and dry aged is better. I wonder how much the USDA has to do with the way beef is handled and processed at the packing houses?? The USDA might be on the take, from the chicken and pork producers. There Government so I am sure there on the take.

 

[greybeard]

Evidently he's never gone to one of the poultry or swine boards and read all the infighting that goes on there.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

Sounds like ibetyamissedme wants everyone here to be a cheerleader and whatever they do to our product, we are supposed to sing their praises?? People here are being honest, big ag takes beef animals that could be supreme eating and makes them average a lot of the time. Home grown beef that never knew stress and gets aged properly and handled one carcass at a time with great care and isn't gassed to hold the color and infused with water is gonna be better to eat, period. Just like that red ripe tomato 5 minutes off the vine is better than anything you can find at the grocery store.

If we are going to debate, lets at least keep it honest. There is money lost when cattle are stressed or inadequately handled. There is an industry push to handle them as easy as possible. You may not be aware of that, but don't make accusations across the board that you don't know. Money is lost with dark cutters, so there is plenty of financial incentive for good handling practices.

There is nothing better than corn fed beef. I can't feed my own for what a feed lot can. So I actually purchase beef from the feedlot to butcher. I have it butchered to my specifications, but it isn't home raised and I love it. I've done home raised, and this is far superior.

You can't feed the masses economically with home raised and I think on average, the industry feeding programs have a superior finished product anyway. As far as processing, I'm not an expert on every step. And I feel that most are not truly educated and like to ignore safety data for scare tactics to support their own agenda. The biggest problem with what is offered in grocery stores is not necessarily the processing but the origin and quality of beef. We lose the far majority of our best beef to export. As the dollar has tanked, the import of lesser products have climbed immensely. I'm not going to go find the numbers, but if you don't believe me, check them out for yourself. Locally, pick your favorite steak house. Across the board, the quality being served today is junk compared to 5 years ago. Australia is taking advantage of the dollar and importing low quality meat by the boat loads.

Do I want to stop export of quality meat? If it is supporting the market, no? But I would rather the dollar not be trashed like it is and we keep the quality at home.

You guys forget that we are in a world market, not a national market. Is there something for home raise beef, or vegetables, or whatever- yes. You know where it came from. Is it always a better product? No. I don't care about any authorized use of weed or insect killers in the states. I dang sure care about what I don't know is being used in 3rd world countries.

We have had security in our food supply for so long. It is being eroded not by industry practices, but by diplomatic practices.

 

[greybeard]

Looks to me like Australia is pretty far down the list most years.

http://www.usmef.org/news-statistics/statistics/

We lose the far majority of our best beef to export. As the dollar has tanked, the import of lesser products have climbed immensely. I'm not going to go find the numbers, but if you don't believe me, check them out for yourself. Locally, pick your favorite steak house. Across the board, the quality being served today is junk compared to 5 years ago. Australia is taking advantage of the dollar and importing low quality meat by the boat loads.

Those two statements are direct contradictions of each other.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

Looks to me like Australia is pretty far down the list most years.

http://www.usmef.org/news-statistics/statistics/

We lose the far majority of our best beef to export. As the dollar has tanked, the import of lesser products have climbed immensely. I'm not going to go find the numbers, but if you don't believe me, check them out for yourself. Locally, pick your favorite steak house. Across the board, the quality being served today is junk compared to 5 years ago. Australia is taking advantage of the dollar and importing low quality meat by the boat loads.

Those two statements are direct contradictions of each other.

Sorry, intended that to say exporting low quality by the boat loads, "importing" to us.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

What makes you think they are raising low quality beef? I would say that the Austrailians have invested more in quality genetic's in the last 20 years than we have by far.

 

[greybeard]

From what I see, most of the buying public doesn't give a crap about quality--they are focused on price/lb. That, does more to drive them to chiken and pork than anything else. Put out a tray of select and a tray of choice, and the choice will still be sitting there at day's end-- On top of that, most wouldn't recognize a good steak if they saw one. "look at all the fat in there--those others are a lot more lean and don't have all them little seams of fat in 'em..and they're cheaper" :roll:

 

[Commercialfarmer]

What makes you think they are raising low quality beef? I would say that the Austrailians have invested more in quality genetic's in the last 20 years than we have by far.

My phone keeps timing out. Short version, I don't. They sell their quality products to markets that pay for it. We buy the lower end stuff for import.

It's a global market.

 

[melking]

"You guys forget that we are in a world market, not a national market."
As much as I don't usually agree with CF, we are now a global economy and whether we like it or not, that is the way it will be from now on.

 

[Dave]

Most chicken people are just "Workin for the man". There is no benefit to them telling it like it is. Most cattle producers don't take to kindly to steppin and fetchen. When you do it your way, you think your way is right.

So if they are just working for the man and have nothing invested in the product, why not tell everyone their opinion about the quality of the product? They just don't, I have never heard a chicken or hog producer say store bought chicken or pork is not worth eating. They are smart enough to not throw themselves under the bus, they spend enough time trying to scramble out from under the bus from the general public as it is.

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

 

[greybeard]

What makes you think they are raising low quality beef? I would say that the Austrailians have invested more in quality genetic's in the last 20 years than we have by far.

My phone keeps timing out. Short version, I don't. They sell their quality products to markets that pay for it. We buy the lower end stuff for import.

It's a global market.

Most other nations, including our own, do the same thing--not there is any real shortage of good domestic beef available tho.

 

[TexasBred]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

 

[Jogeephus]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

That's the American way isn't it? There is a whole pile of people around here that would have you believe they are in the plight they are in because I had them picking cotton for me whilst I whipped them. Funny thing is, I never grew any cotton and was probably out cutting firewood with an axe so I could heat my house while they concentrated on making more babies. Now its my fault.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

That's the American way isn't it? There is a whole pile of people around here that would have you believe they are in the plight they are in because I had them picking cotton for me whilst I whipped them. Funny thing is, I never grew any cotton and was probably out cutting firewood with an axe so I could heat my house while they concentrated on making more babies. Now its my fault.

now be a good feller, and give them half the wood you cut.. so thay can keep their babies, and themselves warm

 

[Dave]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

Wasn't the case here. I knew this guy pretty well. He was very involved with various farm organizations. He became too out spoken. The chicken companies didn't like it so they stopped doing business with him. Simple as that. What do you do with 100's of thousands of square feet of chicken barns if the chicken companies wont give you a contract? The real telling was when they gave a contract to the new owner of his farm. These weren't old barns. This was a new modern facility with all the bells and whistles.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

Wasn't the case here. I knew this guy pretty well. He was very involved with various farm organizations. He became too out spoken. The chicken companies didn't like it so they stopped doing business with him. Simple as that. What do you do with 100's of thousands of square feet of chicken barns if the chicken companies wont give you a contract? The real telling was when they gave a contract to the new owner of his farm. These weren't old barns. This was a new modern facility with all the bells and whistles.

like in everything you gotta say what people want to hear...

 

[3waycross]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

Wasn't the case here. I knew this guy pretty well. He was very involved with various farm organizations. He became too out spoken. The chicken companies didn't like it so they stopped doing business with him. Simple as that. What do you do with 100's of thousands of square feet of chicken barns if the chicken companies wont give you a contract? The real telling was when they gave a contract to the new owner of his farm. These weren't old barns. This was a new modern facility with all the bells and whistles.

Another reason i cannot wait to put as much distance between me and Corporate Amerika as possible. I actually was told by an executive that the word "problem" was banned and we were required to refer to them as opportunities. My smarta$$ answer of course was if that's the case who's gonna solve the problems.

Just one more reason I will never be named CEO

 

[TexasBred]

I knew a guy who had several large chicken barns and a contact with Foster Farms. He did speak up about some issues. He spoke up too much. He found himself with several large chicken barns and no contract. He tried to get a contract with Draper Valley but they wouldn't give him a contract. He ended up selling out to keep from going bankrupt. As soon as there was a new owner in place, the new owner was offered a contract to raise birds...... funny how that worked.

Knew a lot of dairymen like that. Other side of the story was that they were bad dairymen, filed bankruptcy, and made up the story to save face. :nod: :nod:

Wasn't the case here. I knew this guy pretty well. He was very involved with various farm organizations. He became too out spoken. The chicken companies didn't like it so they stopped doing business with him. Simple as that. What do you do with 100's of thousands of square feet of chicken barns if the chicken companies wont give you a contract? The real telling was when they gave a contract to the new owner of his farm. These weren't old barns. This was a new modern facility with all the bells and whistles.

Don't you figure his contract had something in it to limit those actions by him? Most corps. try to cover themselves every way they can othewise they would have to have some other reason to justify black balling him. But, I can only assume he got what he was asking for the property.