{"id":55612,"date":"2020-06-04T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=55612"},"modified":"2020-06-02T08:47:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T13:47:39","slug":"the-byproducts-have-got-the-beef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=55612","title":{"rendered":"The byproducts have got the beef"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Clay Holcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kiowa senior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beef industry\nprovides us with more than just the food we eat every day. Most of the items we\nenjoy incorporate a beef byproduct. To understand the impact the beef industry\nhas on us, we must first recognize what byproducts are, the export market for them,\nand the value added to the carcass by acquiring these products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Byproducts\nsuch as the offal, blood, hides, and rendered products all come from parts of\nthe animal\u2019s body that are not included in the packaged meat that we buy at the\nbutcher. According to \u201cWhere\u2019s the (not) Meat,\u201d an article by USDA, \u201cThe use of animal byproducts dates back to early\ncivilization, with hides used for clothing and intestines used for food\ncontainers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These byproducts can\nmake up nearly 44 percent of the weight of an animal before being processed.\nThe use of these byproducts is widespread, with hides being used for leather.\nFats and fatty acids are used in makeup, antifreeze and paint. Piano keys,\nmarshmallows, and shampoo are all examples of products that are derived from\nthe bones, horns, and hooves of cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are just a few\nexamples of items we use every day that would not be possible without the beef\nindustry. One carcass can produce more than 350 byproducts, with the most\ncommon being hides and the variety meats such as livers and kidneys. According\nto Steve Kay of Cattle Buyers Weekly, \u201cThe USDA refers to byproducts as the\n\u2018fifth\u2019 quarter as they rely on the value of carcass byproducts to cover a\nlarge portion of the costs of processing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many\nlesser-known byproducts are used in the pharmaceutical sector. Their importance\nis invaluable as there is often no available substitution. One of the most\nvaluable byproducts is bovine fetal blood. Bovine fetal blood comes from cull\ncows and fed heifers that are taken to the packer. Fetal blood yields a serum\nafter being placed in a centrifuge, separating the rest of the components of\nthe blood away. Serum, very important in the manufacture of human and animal\nvaccines, is not often talked about but is one of the most critical byproducts\ndue to its scarcity and importance to human and animal well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In foreign export\nmarkets, edible byproducts such as the variety meats are in strong demand, due\nto our premium product and lower price when compared to the domestic products\nof the countries we export to. In the last 10 years, byproducts have made up\nover 35 percent of U.S. beef and veal exports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only does the beef\nindustry add more value to the carcass by utilizing these products, they also\navoid the costs associated with disposing of these byproducts. According to the\nEconomic Research Service of the USDA, “A one-dollar increase in the value\nof byproducts to processors adds about 10 cents to the average price paid per\nhundredweight to producers of fed steers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, as income\nrises and falls, domestic beef demand rises and falls. As consumers feel\nwealthier, they buy more beef and more expensive retail cuts. The opposite is\ntrue when consumers feel a tighter budget, opting for cheaper substitutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A consequence of the\ncoronavirus is the increase of beef prices to the consumer, though everyone\nwith involvement in the beef industry will notice the effects. Higher prices\nare an effect of large packing plants closing their doors temporarily due to\nworker sickness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the\nHouston Chronicle, as of May 5, 167 plants had virus outbreaks and over 9,400\nworkers have been affected. The shortage of beef is not caused by live animal\nsupply but a lack of available processors. Many small-town processors are\nbooked as far as five months out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Byproducts are not only\nimportant to the processors; they are essential in establishing what the\npackers are able to pay for fed cattle, thus, in turn affecting what feedlot\nmanagers are able to pay for cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many members of the\npublic may enjoy beef every day around the dinner table, but we all enjoy the\nitems brought to us by the beef industry through the utilization of byproducts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clay Holcomb, a 2016\nSouth Barber High School graduate, graduated this spring with a Bachelor of\nScience in animal science from Fort Hays State University. He is the son of Tom\nand Cris Holcomb, Kiowa.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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