Beef from Pasture to Plate

Do you ever wonder

Where your Cheeseburger came from?

Doyoueverwonderhowyourcheeseburgergotonyourplate? DidyourMomorDadmakeit? Didyougetitfromarestaurant? Wheredidtheygettheingredientsfrom?Andhowdidtheingredientsgettothe store? Theseareallgoodquestionsthatyoushouldasktolearnmoreaboutwhereyour foodcomesfrom.Todaywearegoingtotalkabouthowourhamburgersgettoour dinnertableandwheretheycomefrom.ItallstartswithBeefCattle.Letslooka littleattheHistoryofBeefCattle.

Beef- A Long History

Theearliestintroductionofbeefcattletothecountry wasinthe1500sviaMexico.Thesecattlecamenorth towhatisnowthesouthernUnitedStates,andsome oftheirrelativesarestillaroundtoday!

Beefweredomesticatedaround8,000yearsago.Butthatwasalongtimebeforethey madeittotheUnitedstates.ThefirstcattleintotheUSwerefromMexicointhe1500s. Theycameintothesouthernpartofthecountry.ThefirstestablishedheardwasinVirginia around1620.

Beef Glossary
Whatisa Cow? Anindividualfemale bovineanimalthathasproducedacalf Heifer?Ayoungfemalebovinethat hasnotproduceditsfirstcalf Bull? Bovinemalethatisphysicallymature Steer? Bovinemalethatcannotreproduce Calf? Aphysicallyimmaturebovineanimal

First,somebasics.Werecognizethatourlingomaybeconfusingarenttheseallwords forthesameanimal?Wellyesandno.Intheindustryacowmeans. Note Picturesmatchthedefinitionandmoveclockwiseindirection

Cattle vs. Cows

Cattle Groupofbovineanimals

Cow Femalebovine Calf Babybovine

Bull Malebovine

Itisimportanttodefinethedifferencesbetweenthetypesofcattle,orbovines.(Bovineis afancywordforanytypeofcattle).Cowsaremothercattle,calvesarebabiesandbullsare themales.Alltogether,cows,calvesandbullsarecalledcattle.

Dairy vs. Beef Cattle

Dairycow= milk

Beefcow= meat

InIdaho,therearemanybeefand dairycattle.Infact,sellingcattlecontributesmore moneytoIdahoseconomythananyotherindustry.Beefcattleareraisedtobeprocessed intobeefandavarietyofbyproducts,butdairycattleareraisedtoproducemilk.This presentationwillfocusonbeefcattle. MostdairycattleinIdahoareblackandwhiteHolsteins,whilemostbeefcattleareAngus.

Cattle Breeds
Therearelotsof differentkindsofCattle SomeareDairytypes andothersareBeef types Theyarecalled Breeds

DifferentBreedshavedifferenttraitswhichdetermineiftheyareBeeforDairyCattle. Somecattlehavebettertraitstoproducemilk,whileothersare betterdevelopedformeat production. TheBreedshereare(ToptoBottom): BeefBreeds:Limousine,Angus,Herford,Charolais. DairyBreeds:Holstein,andJersey

Cattle are . . . SolarPowered4wheeldrive ForageBioDigesters!

Thatmeans,cattlegrazeongrassesandrangelands plantsandusetheenergyfromthem!

Cattleeatthegrassthatisgrownbythesuntopowerthemselves.Theyusetheenergyto makemusclewhichiswhatmakesupBeef!

How Cows Work

Beefcomesfromamazinganimals cattle Cattleeatgrassandturnitintohighlynutritious beef,whichpeopleenjoy Cowisaruminant
Stomachhasfourchambers Fermentgrass,whichismostly cellulose,andturnitinto proteinandfat

Beefisthemusclethatsproducedfromthe process

JusthowdoCattleturngrassandotherforageintomeat?Welltheyarespecialanimals thatarecalledRuminants.Thismeansthattheirstomachisspeciallydesignedwith4 differentparts.Thedifferentcompartmentshelpdigestthelignin&cellulosethatmakeup theplantstheyeat.Cattleareabletoconverttheenergyinawaythatweashumanscould notdo.

Todaytherearealmost100millionbeefanimals and800,000beefcattleproducersintheU.S.Most ofthecattleoperationsarefamilyowned.

Thereare:

Cattle Industry in Idaho

y 529,366dairycows

y 2.11MillionCattleinIdaho y 7,700beeffarming&ranchingfamilies y 77%raise500ormorecattle! y 800dairyfarms

InIdahoalonetherearemorecattlethanpeople!Wehave2.11Millioncattlehereinour state.Theyaretakencareofbyalmost8,000differentfarmand ranchingfamilies.Manyof thecattlehereareDairyCowsonIdahos800DairyFarms.

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The Beef Supply Chain

Cow/Calf SeedStock

Stocker

Feedlot

Packer Processor

Retailer Foodservice

Consumer

800,000

2,70 0 85%

35 95 % 280,000,00 0

TheprocessfromPasturetoplateinvolvesanumberofdifferent sectorsoftheindustry,all ofwhichworktogethertoensurethattheendproductissafeandthatanimalsare handledhumanely. ThesupplychainofbeefstartswithRanchersandthroughstockers,feedlotowners, packers,wholesale,andretailerswefinallygetthefinishedproduct.Itallstartswith theFarmer/Rancherssoletslearnaboutthemfirst.

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Ranchers, Farmers & Cowboys

Caretakersofcattle

Justlikechildrenrelyontheirparentsforthingssuchasahome,foodandclothes,cattle aredependentoncaretakersfortheirwellbeing.Thesecaretakersarepopularlyreferred toasRanchers,Farmers,orCowboys. Howmanystudentshavepets?Well,cowboysandtheirfamiliescarejustasmuchabout theiranimalsandlandasyoudoaboutyourfavoritefamilypet. Sincetherearealotofcowsinherd,thesepeoplehavetowork reallyhardtotakecareof themall.Ranchers&Farmerstakecareofcattlebyfeedingthem hayinthewinter(when thesnowhidesgrass),doctoringthemwhentheyaresick,andmakingsurethattheyhave plentyofgoodfoodandwater.Ranchersalsocareabouttheland thattheykeeptheir cattleonbymanagingittoreducesoilerosion,minimizebadplantscallednoxiousweeds, andcontroltheamountsofwildanimalsthatareonit.Itsimportanttorememberthat justlikeeveryoneinthisclass,Ranchers,Farmers,&Cowboys peoplethatcareforcattle comeinallshapesandsizes.

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The Ranch
Homeofbeefcattle Providesfood,spaceandwater Allowsrancherstotakecareofcattle

Aranchisafarmthatraisesbeefcattle.Thereareusuallyhorsesthat helpmovethecattle wheretheyneedtogoandgreenpasturesforthecattletoliveinandeat.

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Stewards of the Land

Ranchersdependonhealthy,naturalresourcesfor theirlivelihoodandthereforeplacehighvalueon stewardshipoftheland.
ForAmericasbeefproducersthelandistheirlivelihood. Goodmanagementofnaturalresourcesonfarmsandranchesacross thecountryprotects thefuturesofthefamiliesforgenerationstocome. Beefproducersareconservationists. Thetraditionsofcaringforanimalsandthelandarehandeddown downaswell. well

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Cattle Enhance the Environment

Grazinganimalsonlandunsuitableforcropproduction morethandoublesthelandareathatcanbeusedto producefoodinthiscountry. Cattlegrazingminimizestheinvasionofnonnativeplant speciesandtominimizetheriskofwildfiresbydecreasing theamountofflammablematerial ontheland.

Cattlearenaturesownrecyclingmachines. Theyconvertsunlight,water,andgrassintohumanfood. 43%ofthetotalU.S.landmassisessentiallyusedtogrowgrassandothervegetation. Cattlegrazeongrasslandsandturnthegrassintohealthful,deliciousbeef.

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Cattle Care
Ranchersareinthebusinessofcaringforcattle. Fromassistingwithcalvingatmidnighttocheckingon grazingcattleatthecrackofdawn,properanimal careisessentialtothelivelihoodoftheproducer.

Safe Beef Starts with Healthy Cattle

Treatingsickcattleisasciencethatbeef producerstakeseriously. Producersworkcloselywithveterinarians topromptlydetectandtreatanimalswith thetypeofandamountofmedication. Overusingantibioticsdoesntbenefitcattle healthanddoesntmakegoodbusiness sense. Producersandveterinarianstakegreat caretoprovidethemostefficient treatmentforreturningananimaltogood health.

Justlikeseeingthedoctorwhenyouaresick,BeefProducersmakesurethatsickanimals getbetterasfastastheycan.Animaldoctors,veterinarianshelpmakesurethatproper dosagesandmedicinesaregiven.

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Out to Pasture

Cattlelivethemajorityoftheirlivesinpastures.Manyof thecattleusedforbeefwillbetakenoutofthepasture whentheyare12to18monthsold.Someproducerskeep theircattleontherangetoproducegrassfinishedbeef.

Animal Marketing

Whencattlearereadyformarkettheyaresoldthrough alivestockauctionmarket,whichtransfersownershipto thenextlevelintheproductionchain. Thereare815fixedauctionfacilitiesintheU.S. Fromthemarketthecattlearethenfedaccordingtothe desiredfinishedproduct. Somewillgotofeedlots,whileotherswillbeputoutto pasture.

Feedlots
At1218monthsofage cattlearetakentoa feedlot. Thecattlearecarefully unloadedandled throughprocessing wheretheyaretagged, vaccinatedandentered intotheoperations recordkeepingsystem.

FeedlotsacrossthiscountryprovideasafeandproductiveenvironmentforAmericasbeef producerstocarefortheircattle.Thissystemalsodeliverssafeandwholesomebeefwith theuniquecombinationofbeinggoodforyouandtastinggood!

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Life in the Feedlot

Cattleareinpensof100animalsandhave about125to250squarefeetofroomperanimal Spendfourtosixmonthsinthefeedlot Fedascientificallyformulatedrationaveraging70percentto 90percentgrain,andhaveconstantaccesstowater

Waterandairqualityare monitoredandmanaged infeedlotsdaily Feedlotshavetoensure theyareincompliance withstrictEPA regulations

Althoughcattlestayatthefeedlotforarelativelyshortperiodoftime,thisisanimportant stageinbeefproductionthathelpsproducethegreattastingbeefAmericanslove. Somekeypointstomakehereincludedthatfeedlotmanagersareveryengagedinmaking sureeachandeveryanimalishealthy,contentandeatingwell.Itisntjusttherightthingto do,itsgoodbusiness.Formanyfeedlotoperators,raisingcattleisa familytraditionpassed downthroughgenerations. Feedlots varyinsizeand,thoughsomearelarge,mostU.S.cattlefeedingoperationsare small,withfewerthan1,000headofcattleinthefacilityatonetime.

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Feedlot Health and Tracking

Sickcattlemaybegiven antibioticsandmovedintoa separatehospitalpenaway fromtheirherdmates for treatment Thispreventsthespreadof illnessandallowsfeedlot operatorstocloselymonitor theanimalshealth Cattledonotenterthefood supplyuntilantibioticshave lefttheirsystem

Animalsgetsicklikehumansdosobeefproducersuseantibioticstotreat,control,and preventdiseaseincattle. TheproductsareapprovedbytheFDAforuseinanimalagriculture. Theyareusedinconjunctionwithguidelinestoreducetheriskofdevelopmentof antibioticresistantbacteria. Cattlemenworkhardtokeeptheiranimalshealthyinordertoproducesafebeefproducts. CarefulandjudicioususeofanimalantibioticsisonewayAmericasbeefproducershelpan animalregainormaintainexcellenthealthwhileproducingsafe, wholesomeandnutritious beef.Ifcattledogetsick,itisimportanttoworkwiththeveterinariantomakesurecattle arecorrectlydiagnosedandgiventhecorrectantibiotic.

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Beef Packing Process

Aftercattlehave beenfedtheyare thensoldtoameat packingplantwhen theyare18to22 monthsoldand weighbetween 1,000to1,250 pounds.

Supermarkets and Restaurants

BeefisShippedtolotsofdifferentplaces soyoucanbuyit!
GroceryStores QuickServiceRestaurants Restaurants

AfterCattleareprocessedthebeefistransportedtowholesaleoutletswhothendistribute theBeeftoSupermarketsandRestaurants.Retailersandrestaurantstakethefinalstepsto ensurethesafetyandqualityofbeeffortheircustomers. Beefproducersareproudtoprovideawidevarietyofbeefchoicestomeetthechanging lifestylesandnutritionalneedsofconsumers.

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AllBeefIs...

Sowhataboutlabeling?Istherereallyadifference?Rememberthatallbeefis

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BeefCanBe...

AtthegrocerystoretherearedifferentlabelsontheBeef.Whatdotheymean?

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Nutritious Beef
A3ounceservingoflean beefcontributesless than10percentof caloriestoa2,000calorie dailydiet,yetitsan excellentsourceof protein,zinc,vitaminB 12,seleniumand phosphorus;andisa goodsourceofniacin, vitaminB6,iron,and riboflavin.

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Working Together
Byworkingtogether thecattlefarmers, ranchers, consumers,and government agencieshave helpedmakeour beefsupplythe safestintheworld!

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FromPasturetoPlate: TheLegacyContinues

Kidsontodaysfarmsandrancheshopesomedaytocontinue thegreatlegacyofproducinghighqualitybeef,justlikethe generationsbeforethem. Byprotectingtheirlandandthehealthoftheiranimals,the foodgrowingfamiliesoftodaywillbeabletocontinuethis Americantradition.

Itismorethanjustajobforbeef producers,itsawayoflife.

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Broughttoyoubythe

IdahoBeefCouncil

Additional Resources & Lesson Suggestions

UpperElementary:
HavealocalFarmer/Rancherwhoraisescattlecome andspeaktotheclass Talkabouttheprocessthatwasdiscussed.Askfor feedbackonwhatnewthingsstudentslearned Writea1pagepaperaboutwhattheylearned.Have studentsincorporatetheirownexperienceswithwhat theyknowandhavelearnedaboutthecattle productionprocess.

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