turned into meat

[Anonymous]

I was just wondering what goes on when cattle are killed and how they end up in the store's freezer. how is it done? From when they enter the building to be killed to being in stores. Any info helps. Jane

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you how my beef gets from the pasture to my table. We range feed and supplement with hay/alfalfa/straw and grain. The last six weeks or so of the steer's life, we separate it into a pen and stall by itself so that we can feed it special. We call a local guy who comes and shoots one bullet into its head. The steer is then skinned, gutted, quartered and taken to the butcher place to be cut into different pieces -- roasts, steaks, hamburger, ribs, etc. In packing plants, special care is taken so that the animal can be kept calm. I once heard on PBS about a lady who goes through the alleys and makes them cow-friendly. When the moderator asked her how she could care about animals but help people slaughter cattle to eat, the lady replied, "If nature were in charge, the wolves would rip its throat out and eat on it before it was even dead." Something always has to die so that humans can live. Even vegetarians kill a plant that is dying in order to survive. Respect for life and living demands that we do these things as humanely and thoughtfully as possible.

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[Anonymous]

> I can tell you how my beef gets
> from the pasture to my table. We
> range feed and supplement with
> hay/alfalfa/straw and grain. The
> last six weeks or so of the
> steer's life, we separate it into
> a pen and stall by itself so that
> we can feed it special. We call a
> local guy who comes and shoots one
> bullet into its head. The steer is
> then skinned, gutted, quartered
> and taken to the butcher place to
> be cut into different pieces --
> roasts, steaks, hamburger, ribs,
> etc. In packing plants, special
> care is taken so that the animal
> can be kept calm. I once heard on
> PBS about a lady who goes through
> the alleys and makes them
> cow-friendly. When the moderator
> asked her how she could care about
> animals but help people slaughter
> cattle to eat, the lady replied,
> "If nature were in charge,
> the wolves would rip its throat
> out and eat on it before it was
> even dead." Something always
> has to die so that humans can
> live. Even vegetarians kill a
> plant that is dying in order to
> survive. Respect for life and
> living demands that we do these
> things as humanely and
> thoughtfully as possible. Thanks for the info it answers alot of my questions but I have one more, how do you "take" it to the butcher. thanks again Jane

 

[Anonymous]

My dad takes his animals to a sale yard. A buyer buys it and then it may go to a big packing place usually by truck, or the buyer may be someone who just wants to pasture some cattle to keep his land cultivated. In my case, where I do not sell through sales yards, the butcher comes to me. He has a refrigerated truck that carries all the water and supplies he needs to do the butchering right here on our place. When he leaves, he takes all of the leftovers (head, entrails, hide, etc.)... these items are processed by way of outlets he has. It is a pretty clean procedure. In fact, in the big packing plants, it is amazingly clean also. Chalk one up for the American health system -- we can be very proud of the care taken in getting beef from the farm to the table.

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