1. What really goes into that steak?
Beef Production
What really goes into that steak?

2. Working Backwards What do we get out of cattle? Beef (obviously)
Edible By-Products
Inedible By-Products
Medicinal By-Products
Waste (watch your step)

3. Beef
Beef products are (for apparent reasons) the primary focus of the cattle industry in the U.S.
Only about half of the weight in a market sized animal is prime beef product

4. Edible By-Products Liver Kidneys Brains Tongue
Fats (used to make margarine, shortening, chewing gum, and certain candies)
Bones (used to produce gelatin used in ice cream, canned meates, etc.)

5. Inedible By-Products Leather Felt Binders for plaster and asphalt
Base for residential insulation
Paint brushes
Footballs (really not “pigskin” afterall)
Oils and lubricants
Cosmetics

6. Medicinal By-Products
“More than 100 individual drugs performing such important and varied functions as helping to make childbirth safer, settling an upset stomach, preventing blood clots in the circulatory system, controlling anemia, relieving some symptoms of hay fever and asthma, and helping babies digest milk include beef by-products.”
Insulin (takes approximately 26 head to provide a 1 year supply for one person)

7. So what do we put in?
In order to list basic inputs, the system of production must be mapped
Working backwards from products, it should look something like this:
Products
Cattle
Feed Lots
Individual Farms/Ranches

8. Products Processing plants Electric bill
Waste disposal (any unused parts of carcass, blood, etc.)

9. Feed Lots Feed Land Waste Disposal Fuel Alfalfa Wheat Corn
About 6lb of feed per 1lb gained
Land
Space for cattle
Good drainage
Protection of local water sources
Waste Disposal
Environmental regulations
Fuel
Transportation of cattle
Operation of equipment

10. Feed Fuel (farm equipment as well as transport of crop) Fertilizer
Water usage
Land (crops used for feed take up space for other crops that would otherwise be used for human consumption)

12. Related Articles
How Production Loads in Your Food Processing Plant Affect Refrigeration Efficiency and Stability

13. Sources
The Many Uses of a Cow – Beef By-Products.
What Do Feedlot Cattle Eat?
Want to Start or Expand a Feedlot Operation? Consider These Factor First
FACT SHEET: Feedlot Finishing Cattle