MRJ

[PPRM]

RobertMac, When did China start exporting beef to the USA????

Why do you fear the 3% of the beef in retail stores that is imported when you can sell your own superior product at a better price????

I didn't set the US low cost food policy, but do believe it has served society well. That is how we (even those of us producing ag products) who are not in the top 10% of income can afford our luxuries in life.

It seems logical that people in this country also have a diet of better quality and safer food than in most other countries, giving us value for our money.

Sure, it would be nice to be paid better, but we are improving on that, too, but not by asking someone what they will give us for the cattle!!!!

mrj

mrj, more would be able to buy higher quality meat if the U.S. didn't have such poor trade balances. That money being shipped overseas and then back here to the U.S. in investments in tbills would make interest rates go a little higher, give a better return to the people wanting to save a little and maybe help push the labor market into providing the things we previously bought from China. The push on the labor market would invariably push wages higher and people could pay more for meat in the U.S.

It would help solve the savings problem and increase wages at home while allowing people buy more high quality beef and meals.

Tex.... The high majority of Beef, Domestic and Foriegn, is pretty easy to beat out. Trick is to not wait on Others. Things like Trade balances, Interest Rates, Foriegn Governments, Packer practices, Industry marketing.....

There are more people who can afford high quality Beef than you can Produce Tex... You can wait for everyone else to align things just right for you or take the initiative to do it yourself.... The rest is whining because someone elses milk seems sour to you,

PPRM

 

[Ben Roberts]

Why do you fear the 3% of the beef in retail stores that is imported when you can sell your own superior product at a better price???
mrj

Maxine, you should fear that 3%, of the beef that is imported. That 3% will become 30% in the future!

 

[mrj]

Think about that, Ben. The USA has about 4% of the worlds consumers. Our export market has the other 96% of consumers. The populations of India and China represent populations of lower income people moving up and growing very fast in their desire for better lives which means more meat, for one thing.

Why are you so sure that our country is going to be inundated with beef exported from other nations?

SOME people in other nations are willing to pay more for the high dollar top quality beef we are known for producing.

MORE of the people in those nations are clamoring for the less expensive beef, and I believe our country can be effective in supplying both ends of that emerging market.

Doubtless, there will be beef from other countries also going into the middle to lower end markets overseas, but it doesn't seem really reasonable to expect a lot of increase in imports here, based partly on what beef imports to the USA have been doing this year, as well as our ability to produce the top quality grain fed beef many of our US consumers prefer, does it?

But then, I'm not into the blame game, conspiracies and ulterior motives by packers and corporate business to put US cattle producers out of business, either.

On the other hand, I have heard some liberal Democrats indicate that we should move such 'messy' business off shore to return our own environment to it's pristine origins.......so who knows what they will do to achieve that goal?????