Beefman:
To survive, beef producers need to ensure they're getting the MARKET price, or better. For doing things better, there are opportunities to beat the market. There have never been more opportunities to prosper in the beef industry than there are now. Opportunities exist today to provide an acceptable beef product at all price points. Your production suggestion of grinding only whole muscle, native carcasses forces even more customers to cheaper protein sources.
Beefman, when prices are this high for beef, it is economically feasable to ship beef from Australia and New Zealand here. We are on the high of an upswing. We wouldn't be this high if we weren't pushed as low as the Tysons manipulation caused. Opportunities to provide acceptable beef at all price points from imports does not help domestic producers. My argument is not for no imports, it is to show that when prices are pushed to the higher highs and lower lows that market manipulation causes, the producer ends up paying for it and the packers benefit. The "hurts no one" view from Chuck Lambert is wrong. It only internationalizes the supply of beef. Global companies are able to play the cattle cycle off of other countries to their benefit and to the detriment of domestic producers. I don't suggest grinding only whole muscle from native sources.
Jason brought that up in is previous example on $4.00 roundn for hamburger with trim, I believe. Sandhusker pointed out that it was not that much at the store and I let go the fact that there are other cuts of the beef that are better suited for the grind than that. Lots of the chuck and brisket would go in before the round. Some rounds, however, need to go into burger. I know, because I have cooked them before. Steak and Shake has secured a good burger (based on sales and price of product) based on grinding the whole animal. We always put cows into hamburger too. Occaisonally taking out the loins.
If you want to keep making up examples to get the answer that imports benefit domestic producers, then keep trying it. I have some coastal property in Louisiana to sell that you might want to buy.
Beefman:
To be technically correct, you might want to have a discussion with your Animal Science 101 buddies down the hall. Marbling indicates quality grades, fat (as you describe) doesn't. You might also want to revisit what happens with low Select sirloin steaks. Due to high cost, very few, if any major retailers will be spending the extra money for select sirloins for the grinder. Composit loin primals on Wednesday per USDA http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lm_xb403.txt suggest Select primal loins at $194.04/cwt, Ribs at $215.49/cwt. Too expensive for ground beef.
Marbling doesn't matter too much in grind (although I would argue that it does based on personal taste tests and company success of Steak and Shake). Jason tried to make his case at first with the round. I would not say that the loins or ribs are comparable for the same grade as rounds although you might want to put some standard sirloin in the grind and I could personally attest to that. To compare those cuts for grind is not a good comparison and you know it. You are just as bad as Jason on that one. I only brought up the sirloin to show that some low quality animals may have sirloin that needs to go in the grind. There are differences in the select grade as far as its range is concerned. I am sure that sometimes at the bequest of the packer some of that standard ends up as select.
What are these "negative" characteristics? If your suggestion is these are our home grown ground beef candidates, consider these cattle types do make up a percent of inventory in TX / OK feedlots today. They sometimes get the same cash price as the English bred cattle. I doubt their owners will want to sell at discount.
No one wants to sell at a discount. Sometimes when you have too much Brahman influence, you have a carcass that is more tough. Maybe it has something to do with the boys in the pasture bothering the bull, I don't know. These characteristics can and are bred out. It is not until recent (last 20 yrs) that the data necessary for these breeding programs and results of tear tests have been used to breed out these influences. Brangus and other crosses give the same heat and humidity tolerances without some of the other negative characteristics. Your word "sometimes" is key here.
Grandpa must not of caught you. Otherwise, he would've beaten some sense into you.
My grandpa never beat us. He was much wiser than that. Things that are unimportant pass. A discouraging word is far more powerful from someone you respect than a beating from someone you don't.
