Just for the sake of discussion

[Soapweed]

This came up on Ranch Talk, under a different topic, so I will kick it over to this side of the page where a guy can roll up his sleeves and really get into the fray. :wink:

I grilled the Schwans Angus Beef Burgers for fathers day and they were great. Now someone will probably tell me that it was foreign beef or something.

Just sad that you are made to guess :wink: ... Everyone should have the right to know where their food comes from...Nothing looks better than a good old USA- RAISED BEEF label on the package....

I was in town the other day at the same time the Schwan's truck was, so bought a package of their Black Angus Steak Burgers. There were eight burgers in the box, and each weighed 5.3 oz. Counting tax, I think it came to right at $16, so it was $2 per burger. They were very good, even though I have no idea if it was completely a product of the USA or not. I am quite sure that it is a consistent product. Schwan's has a good reputation, and even though it is expensive, a buyer is assured of a high quality, fine tasting burger.

On the other hand, a statement of "USA-Raised Beef" assures me of absolutely nothing, other than the beef was "raised" in the USA. There is a very wide diversity of cattle in the good ol' USA, from Corriente grass-feds to New Hampshire Holstein to Nebraska corn-fed to Alaska musk-ox. Just because a batch of beef says USA-Raised Beef, I cannot be confident that it will taste good. Probably in fact, the other extreme would be more apt to be true. If the USA label is the only "claim to fame" that a package of beef displays, it probably doesn't amount to much. On the flip side of the coin, anyone who purchased beef based solely on "USA-Raised Beef" and didn't like it, they would be pretty hesitant to buy any beef with that label again. Any high-end beef product would proudly proclaim something such as Nebraska Corn-Fed Beef, or South Dakota Premium Beef, or something else with some actual meaning.

How about "USA Processed Soda Pop"? That would sure have a lot of significance. Anything of any flavor would qualify, from sugary to diet-style, from caffeine to non-caffeine. The original label would be a non-issue.

 

[Jason]

I'm not sure if the Angus Burgers Costco is selling are the exact same product, but my wife bought some of them while we were waiting for our own beef. (It's a tough go to run out when you process as many as we do)

Anyway the burgers were very good. They were convienient which all women nowadays love, and they tasted nearly as good as our own beef.

I found out another friend of ours that buys some beef from us also likes them.

The cost here was not that bad, on sale they were $15 I think, and as far as my Mrs. could remember the box was 6 pounds. That puts them under $3 a pound, on sale mind you, cheaper than my ground beef retail price of $3.

Having said all that, never did the subject of where the beef came from arise. No one ever asked or seemed to care. In fact I never questioned it because the quality was good.

The average consumer really could care less as long as they perceive value in their purchase. Value from convienece, taste, and or a price standpoint. To get all three is a real bonus.

 

[HAY MAKER]

The fastest way ,I know of to kill small town America which is one of the last things left in this country that is worth a damn,is "globalization" of the cattle industry,Im against anyone and everyone that promotes this theory for corporate America,that definetly includes the ncba/tysons of the world.
we can have M COOL and all the branded beef brands too,dont have to trade one for the other.
It amazes me that some folks that have youngsters on the ranch,that they would undoubtebly like to see ranching and carry the family ranching buisness on for their kids refuses to see this.
If the tysons have their way M cool wont help you anyway,argentina beef will be promoted by the check off and yours will be too costly .............good luck

 

[Tam]

Soapweed I think you are right on track. If a person gets a piece of labeled meat and they are not satisfied with it, they will be looking for that label the next time but it will not be to buy it, it will be to AVOID IT. If you can not assure all beef is raise to the same quality then that label could just cost you far more than it will ever bring you. That is one of the reasons I keep saying be care of what you ask for as it could come back to bite you.

 

[HAY MAKER]

Soapweed I think you are right on track. If a person gets a piece of labeled meat and they are not satisfied with it, they will be looking for that label the next time but it will not be to buy it, it will be to AVOID IT. If you can not assure all beef is raise to the same quality then that label could just cost you far more than it will ever bring you. That is one of the reasons I keep saying be care of what you ask for as it could come back to bite you.

You talk mighty big for a girl that is playing both ends against the middle,if memory serves me right ,you have this lil law called country of orgin labeling,but you are dead set against the american cattle man having it...............good luck

PS sell your UTM to japan send your OTM to America ?

 

[Anonymous]

Soap-- As a good NCBA card carrier maybe you can explain NCBA's current policy- none of the other NCBAer's will...

NCBA supported mandatory US beef for the school lunch program-which they said was a safety issue, now this years gathering of the NCBA elite came out supporting mandatory US beef for the military....If they think that is important for kids and our troops why don't they believe the common folk should have a choice if its US beef or slaughtered in a back alley in Tijuana :???:

 

[Tam]

The fastest way ,I know of to kill small town America which is one of the last things left in this country that is worth a damn,is "globalization" of the cattle industry,Im against anyone and everyone that promotes this theory for corporate America,that definetly includes the ncba/tysons of the world.
we can have M COOL and all the branded beef brands too,dont have to trade one for the other.
It amazes me that some folks that have youngsters on the ranch,that they would undoubtebly like to see ranching and carry the family ranching buisness on for their kids refuse to see this.
If the tysons have their way M cool wont help you anyway,argentina beef will be promoted by the check off and yours will be too costly .............good luck

Haymaker do you want your good high quality :wink: Haymaker US raised beef, labeled with the same "US raised beef" label as say an old wore out dairy cow, or some beef coming from a producer that mistreats his animals to the point of ruining the meat. Like I said it you can't assure that all beef raised in the US is of the same high quality as yours, you will be the looser if a consumer just happens to pick up the other producers beef and yours is guilty of the same bad taste because of a label that really means NOTHING. If you want your beef labeled so consumer can identify it for what it is why not see if you can get into a program the does insure the quality of all the meat it sells so the label means something more than the country it was raised. :?

 

[HAY MAKER]

Reread my previous post slowly.............we dont have to trade branded beef programs for M COOL, do you ?................good luck

 

[Tam]

Reread my previous post slowly.............we dont have to trade branded beef programs for M COOL, do you ?................good luck

I never said you did I asked you why if you want your beef labeled can't you get yours into a branded program. As labeling your High quality :wink: beef with a generic label of US raised beef puts your beef at the risk of being the same as the producer that doesn't care what he does with his cattle. Tell us just what that US raised label will do for you if the some of beef under that label gives all the beef under that label a BAD NAME? :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Tam- you don't mind that beef slaughtered in a country like Mexico, that has little or no government oversight on health and safety rules because of the political graft, is thrown in a tray with your Canadian beef and all passed off as generic product :???:

I foresee the day in the future when all Canadian producers will be screaming to have M-COOL- but nobody will know they can produce a quality product because it has all been passed off as generic US beef- and nobody knows they have ever ate it....

 

[HAY MAKER]

Reread my previous post slowly.............we dont have to trade branded beef programs for M COOL, do you ?................good luck

I never said you did I asked you why if you want your beef labeled can't you get yours into a branded program. As labeling your High quality :wink: beef with a generic label of US raised beef puts your beef at the risk of being the same as the producer that doesn't care what he does with his cattle. Tell us just what that US raised label will do for you if the some of beef under that label gives all the beef under that label a BAD NAME? :roll:

"if " ""if "if" "if" if the dog hadnt stopped ta %#$%&&$# he woulda caught the jack rabbit,state some facts Miss Tam,anybody can create these hypothetical scenarios............good luck
PS Where did you learn that,the saskatchewan stock growers

 

[Anonymous]

To me its just sad that NCBA and some cattle producers don't have enough pride in their countries product or their country as a whole to put up the red, white, and blue colors and stick USA in front of their BEEF sign- and then sink even lower and support lying to and defrauding the US consumer, who for years has been our most loyal customer.... I guess they forget what country has allowed them to be in the business and for most it darn sure wasn't Mexico, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, or Uruguay, etc......It just befuddles me as to why they would want to promote these countries beef or cattle instead of their own- reminds me of the Ford dealer telling all his clients that Toyota is better...And I would think Canadians would be yelling to have theirs identified on the counters instead of having it mixed in with the cheap Mexican coming thru the states...

 

[Tommy]

Soapweed...Just because a batch of beef says USA-Raised Beef, I cannot be confident that it will taste good. Probably in fact, the other extreme would be more apt to be true.

So most of the USA beef is not good in your opinion Soapweed?

You and others continually say that if a consumer has a bad experience with USA labeled beef they will look to buy beef labeled from somewhere else. What choice does the consumer have now when he-she has a bad experience?

 

[Soapweed]

Soapweed...Just because a batch of beef says USA-Raised Beef, I cannot be confident that it will taste good. Probably in fact, the other extreme would be more apt to be true.

So most of the USA beef is not good in your opinion Soapweed?

You and others continually say that if a consumer has a bad experience with USA labeled beef they will look to buy beef labeled from somewhere else. What choice does the consumer have now when he-she has a bad experience?

No, Tommy, that is not my opinion. My opinion is that the top-of-the-line "good stuff" is already set apart with a label that actually means something. It already has Country Of Origin Labeling, voluntary I might add. The premium labels designate that it has a reputation to live up to. Your "USA-Raised Beef" is just that, "raised in the USA", with absolutely no other qualifications or no further reputation to uphold. It doesn't mean diddly squat as to the quality thus implied. It could very well be Holstein, yak, or a number four Okie, who knows?

My point is to put a specialty COOL voluntary label on something that matters. Let the free enterprise system go into effect. Don't "make" the common beef abide by rules that would just be extra expense for high quality beef. Don't allow common crappy beef to "imply" that it is better than it is, just because supposedly it was "raised in the USA".

Your pose a question: "What choice does the consumer have now when he or she has a bad experience?" The choice they have, Tommy, is to not buy anything with that label again. The premium beef labels have reputations to live up to, so they are going to do everything in their power to make sure their product is consistent and tasty. Some of the the junk beef that slides through with the high-faluting label of "USA-Raised Beef" will be an unpleasant eating experience for a consumer. They, in turn, will hesitate to buy a product again that has that label.

COOL is fine for high quality beef. For the low quality beef, we don't want to admit it, if in fact it is USA-Raised Beef.

 

[Anonymous]

Soap- does Branded Beef guarantee its US beef? I think some of the branded programs allow beef from both the US and Canada if it meats certain carcass requirements...CAB and Lauras Lean can come from both countries....

We were talking about Schwanns in the original post- they sell forms of branded beef, but when I questioned the salesman and the district distributor, they could not tell or guarantee that it is US beef...Its all just got a USDA inspected label on it, which we know means nothing- could be Mexican donkey that the Mexican government inspector collected his weekly salary on by looking the other way....

 

[don]

or maybe montana donkey

 

[Anonymous]

or maybe montana donkey

Or diseased Canuck :wink:

 

[Murgen]

Soap- does Branded Beef guarantee its US beef? I think some of the branded programs allow beef from both the US and Canada if it meats certain carcass requirements...CAB and Lauras Lean can come from both countries....

Still not getting it eh? Consumers buy quality, COO, does not matter if it is a consistent quality product. If Laura's Lean was guaranteed US beef, it wouldn't mean a damn thing if it did not meet the consumer's quality expectations.

Laura's Lean puts certain criteria on their product, and those criteria are followed in both Canada and the US, creating a consistent quality product. With a few additional specs, thrown in.

 

[Anonymous]

Soap- does Branded Beef guarantee its US beef? I think some of the branded programs allow beef from both the US and Canada if it meats certain carcass requirements...CAB and Lauras Lean can come from both countries....

Still not getting it eh? Consumers buy quality, COO, does not matter if it is a consistent quality product. If Laura's Lean was guaranteed US beef, it wouldn't mean a damn thing if it did not meet the consumer's quality expectations.

Laura's Lean puts certain criteria on their product, and those criteria are followed in both Canada and the US, creating a consistent quality product. With a few additional specs, thrown in.

Except now the US is not finding a new POST feedban cow weekly and infected cattle perilously close to the 30 month magic number which makes the US raised beef in higher demand...

I always think of the Lauras Lean bunch as the ones that read the US food consumer reports daily- that are now broadcasting the dangers of Canadian beef daily....

But since no one wants to provide them the product, I guess those that want to eat BSE safe lean meat will have to go to skinless chicken....

 

[HAY MAKER]

I think if you checked you would see ,branded beef programs are just that,branded beef programs,country of orgin may or may not be implied,quality beef comes from more than one country.
MCOOL will tell a consumer,just that, the country of orgin, this gives the consumer the ability to determine for him self whats quality,be it a product of the USA,canada,or Mexico its just information that the consumer is being deprived of,so packers can pawn off cheaper sourced meat.............good luck

PS I will be straight up about M COOL,I dont look forward to competeing against South America for consumer dollars,where there is no winters and labor is 3 dollars a day.
We need to promote American beef and M COOL and so does the check off,then the cattle industry can work together for the good of all,but as long as the ami controls ncba/usda we fight.