2014 National Beef Month TSCRA works to make sure U.S. ranchers are around to celebrate
ISSUES POLICY I
By Clay Birdwell, president
T’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR HERE IN TEXAS. IT’S TIME FOR FAMILIES TO DUST OFF THE grill and get ready to barbecue. Since May kicks off barbecue season, it’s only fi tting that this month is designated as National Beef Month.
During National Beef Month, folks across the country will take time to recognize and celebrate U.S. ranchers and the great contributions they make to our country, especially our food supply. In today’s economy, U.S. families are fortunate to spend only 5.7 percent
of their disposable income on food. That is less than any other country in the world. This fact isn’t coincidence. It’s largely because of effi cient and innovative technology coupled with the free market system we have in the U.S. Unfortunately, many folks underestimate the Texas beef industry. They
don’t realize that each rancher feeds approximately 144 people, a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. We are able to do that because of the more than 800,000 ranching families across the country who work hard daily to safely, humanely and effi ciently raise cattle. We are feeding more people, but the number of ranchers is decreasing.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), between 1960 and 2007 the number of U.S. family agriculture operations declined by more than 1.7 million. In 1960 there were 3.9 million family agriculture operations feeding a U.S. population of 183 million. In 2007, there were 2.2 million farms and ranches feeding an estimated population of 301 million. Even though there are fewer ranchers today, overseas demand for U.S.
beef is at its strongest. More beef is available to Japanese consumers after the country opened its beef market to animals younger than 30 months of age. The long push to open up more foreign markets for U.S. beef made positive steps when the Colombia, Panama and South Korea free trade agreements went into effect, allowing more consumers abroad access to the safe and healthy U.S. beef they crave. You would think that the increasing number of mouths to feed both at
home and abroad would serve as a good incentive for the federal govern- ment to act in a way that makes it easier for ranchers to succeed in this business, but unfortunately, I feel that’s just not the case. In recent months we’ve seen funding cuts aimed at meat inspectors,
a mandatory part of the process of moving beef from pasture to plate. We’ve seen USDA, the regulatory agency created to regulate and pro-
68 The Cattleman May 2013
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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