1. The Beef Industry

2. Beef Products
What products can you think of?

3. Seed Stock Producers
Produce close to “perfect” animals, sell their semen or embryos.

4. Elite Breeders & Producers
Try to breed the “perfect” animal.
Show these animals to build a better reputation as a breeder.

6. Commercial Cow Calf Producer
Means that they aren’t registered to a specific breed.
Breed cows annually.
Keep heifer calves to breed.
Castrate bull calves, raise as steers for meat.

7. KY is the largest cattle producer East of the Mississippi

8. Feedlots Cow calf producers ship loads of cattle to them.
Typical load is 40,000lbs.
They feed and keep the animal’s health up for a very low price for the cow calf producer.
They each get part of the profit after the animal sells for slaughter.

10. Slaughterhouses or Packing Plants
Large scale operations that, as humanely as possible slaughter animals on a large scale for human consumption.

11. Wholesaler
Sell large portions of meat to companies for them to make their own products with.

12. Retailer
Sell meat to the public.

13. Consumer
That’s YOU!

14. Discussion Questions
From an agriculturalists mindset, how much do you think the average person knows about the beef industry?

15. Discussion Questions
Is the beef industry humanely housing and feeding their livestock?

16. Discussion Questions
Is the beef industry performing the slaughtering and processing of meat as humanely as possible?

17. Discussion Questions
When things like recalls take place, is it important to be educated?

18. Assignment Draw a diagram representing the beef industry.
How does each “section” work together?
Label each section.
Draw a symbol to represent that section.
In 4 words or more, describe each section.
Seedstock Producers =Make perfect animals, sell their genetics.

19. Sections Discussed Seedstock Producers Elite breeders
Commercial Cow/calf producers
Feedlots
Slaughterhouse/packing plant
Wholesaler
Retailer
Consumer