The infrastructure is designed for the farmer (of any kind) not to survive. He is supposed to produce cheap food at his expense and keep his equipment and pastures up to date and operating at below parity prices.

The cattle industry is a lucrative business for 7-8 different business owners after it leaves the farmers hands. The many different business owners are listed below. The farmer or rancher has by far the largest investment per capita (head of stock) of income of all the other owners combined along the way. He also has the largest risk factor with his investment. He has the land (for pasture & hay), cows, bulls to mate the cows to, tractors, hay bailers, fencing, barns, trucks and the list goes on and on – plus the maintenance and up-keep of all the above. The farmer mates the cows then waits 9 months for the arrival of the new calf, which is another animal to keep healthy. The calf stays at the mothers side for another 6-8 months. Some other factor (person or business) of the infrastructure tells him what he will get (dollars and cents) for his cattle or produce. He is expected to produce a high quality product for the consumer.

In most instances the farmer does a great job growing grass and marketing that grass through his livestock. The farmer delivers cattle to the markets that would produce a favorable eating experience. After the back-grounder and feed lot get through pumping hormones in the ear of the animal and in the feed, the animals have been genetically altered to the point that the animal will never finish. The genetics will at some point stop the growth of the animal. He will stop growing and put on back fat-which is the criteria for quote "being finished."  The feed lot delivers the animals to the slaughterhouse and they are slaughtered. The carcass is hung on the rail and shoved in a cold room at about 20 degrees and chilled. Do you shake and shiver naked in the cold? The carcass should chill out in the 35-38 degree range over night. Then hung in a cold room for 14-21 days. In the slaughterhouses on the second day the meat is cut and wrapped for shipment and is on the way to the dinner table.

I direct market the animals I raise and the processor hangs the meat for a minimum of 14 days and in some cases as much as 21 days. They are allowed to chill out in a room at 35-37 degrees over night and then hang in the cold room for the remainder of the time. This is called the "aging process." Keeping the meat at these temperatures allows enzymes to naturally tenderize the meat yet keep it cool enough to not begin rotting.

My wife and I are the only owners. My meat is HORMONE, ANTIBIOTIC & CHEMICAL free. I do not have the answers for all the people, however there are a lot of moms out there that would buy your meat and welcome it to their dinner table if it were available to them.

The owners of the calves from birth to the dinner table:

Farmer - Sale Barn - Order Buyer - Back Grounder - Feed Lot - Slaughterhouse - Food Supplier - Grocery Store -
Cook & Dinner Table