When we look at the beef industry in America, we see some problems. We see soaring prices at the grocery stores, we see producers who are making barely enough to squeak by, and we also see a meatpacking industry seemingly controlled by only four players. These are not new topics, but one cattle producer has taken the time to examine the industry from many angles and has authored a book that he encourages for beef producers of all types and sizes.
Audio: Full Interview with Author Scott Lively
Scott Lively is a co-founder of Raise American, a 100 percent grass-fed, organic, American beef company. He has also written a book called, ?For the Love of Beef: The Good, The Bad, and the Future of America?s Favorite Meat.? He talks about the angst facing producers across the entire industry. He calls it a ?perfect storm.?
It started with COVID and what happened on the consumer side of the equation.
Combine that with the fact that everything is seeing a price increase, and that does cost any meatpacker more money.
Lively adds that the ?Big-4 Packers? (Tyson, JBS, National Beef, and Cargill) took advantage of the situation to maintain or increase profits.
The Packers and Stockyards Act was written a hundred years ago, in a situation that wasn?t as monopolized as it is now. While it is still the law, Lively says that these monopolies have been allowed to continue in the face of these ?protections.?
So, what can cattle producers do to survive in this climate? Some think that cattle producers should work together and do their own processing. Lively says that has been tried, and either fails or is gobbled up by the Big-4. Lively says it is all about looking at your operation and finding a niche to which you can deliver. Find a space where the Big-4 do not have control? yet.
Lively?s book looks at options for the producer, lessons for the consumer, and what he sees happening inside the halls of Congress. You can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Photo courtesy of Smith Publicity
