F&R LivestockResource
Fall 2023 | Volume 7, Issue 1
Your direct source for livestock news and information
Published by Farmers & Ranchers Livestock, Salina, Kansas
In this Issue: 1 Meat Processing Plants Grow with Local Consumer Demand
The trend toward direct-to-consumer beef has never been more popular. Local processors began to decline over decades until the COVID-19 pandemic forced every family to shop for food differently. Today, the demand for locally sourced food, particularly beef has grown substantially. A recent study by Oklahoma State University Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center found farmers and ranchers are stepping up to meet the demand.
6 BETSY Delivers Sophisticated Phenotyping System
OneCup AI has developed and introduced a Bovine Expert Tracking and Surveillance Technology (BETSY) to monitor and track animal health, welfare, activity, growth and nutrition. BETSY’s brain is broken down into levels that classify each animal by detection, key points, incidence and time. Keynote speaker at 2023 Beef Improvement Federation, Mokah Shmigelsky introduced and explained the program during BIF.
8 Why Consider Drylotting Cows this Fall?
While some areas of the Great Plains have experienced drought relief, other regions still struggle to replenish forage and feedstuffs for the upcoming winter. Drylotting can be a feasible way to allow pasture recovery, while feeding grain, forage, and crop stovers to pairs. Nebraska Beef Extension provides information offering alternatives to winter pastures.
9 K-State Alum and Former U.S. Ambassador Will Deliver the 2023 Gardiner Global Food Systems Lecture
Kansas native and K-State alum, Gregg Doud, will deliver “The Future of Agricultural Trade, Geopolitics and Food” lecture, October 9, at 7 p.m., McCain Auditorium, Manhattan, Kansas. Doud is an expert in agricultural trade policy and served as the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, between 2018 and 2020. The lecture is free and open to the public.
14 Greenwood County 4-H Team Topped the 2023 Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes
More than 300 Kansas 4-H members from 66 counties participated in the 2023 Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes in August. Throughout the weekend, 4-H members competed in the state livestock judging contest, meat judging, livestock skillathon and quiz bowl.
16 Trimming the Shirttails
Hooter’s escapades are all too familiar with just about anyone. Most of us have that one family member that make us think convents and monasteries might not be so bad. Hooter’s recount of his “shirttail” cousin, Priscilla, is rather cathartic.
Meat Processing Plants Grow With Local Consumer Demand By Gail Ellis
As more consumers seek locally sourced products to connect with the land, many farmers and ranchers are stepping up to meet demand. The market for direct-to-consumer beef has grown substantially during the past decade, sustaining the need for processing facilities. COVID-19 fueled even more business for processors, and Oklahoma’s regulatory agency took notice. “In 2019, we had roughly 20 inspected plants across the state, and now we’re up over 30,” said Scott Yates, director of the Food Safety division at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF).
“We had 15 inspectors in 2019, and we just hired the 30th a few weeks ago.”
Educating Ranchers and Buyers
The industry is experiencing significant growth, but starting as early as the 1970s, processing plants were in decline in Oklahoma communities as people retired from the trade. Children chose other career paths over the family business, and many facilities closed their doors for good, Yates said. Meat consumers began to connect with producers, but the custom processing business had its seasonal ebbs and flows. Continued on page 4 ________________________________________
PRSRT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Jefferson City, MO 65101 Permit #303