The United States is the world’s largest producer of beef, according to the USDA-Economic Research Service (ERS). The United States also has the largest fed-cattle industry in the world, primarily high-quality, grain-fed beef used for both domestic and export use.  October 2006 . . . Commodity Beef 


 

Marketing

• Adding Value to Beef Production, Iowa State University Extension Value-Added Agriculture - This Web site gives readers an overview of various beef production alternatives.
• After the Ban: The Japanese Market for U.S. Beef, Roxanne Clemens, Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center (MATRIC), Iowa State University, April 2007.
• Beef and Pork Values and Price Spreads Explained, Economic Research Service, USDA, 2004 - This study found that prices tend to adjust more rapidly when increasing rather than decreasing. Information is provided on price spread calculations and the relationship between marketing costs and livestock prices.
• Cattle Marketing Changes - Are They for the Better?, Kansas State University, Department of Agricultural Economics, 2000 - The cattle business has had more than its share of changes in the past 20 years, not the least of which is the way cattle are sold. But, is that change for the better? Two Kansas State University agricultural economists say yes.
• Feasibility Studies and Business Plans, 2003 - Adapted from a PowerPoint presentation given at the University of California Short Course on Niche Markets for Meat Products. The information presented details business aspects producers need to think about so their businesses do not fail.
• Grader Bias in Cattle Markets? Evidence from Iowa, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, 2004 - There is anecdotal evidence of systematic bias in called grades across time and regions within U.S. markets, and this paper empirically examines whether such claim is supported in a sample of loads delivered to three different Iowa packing plants during the years 2000-02.
• Guaranteed Tender Beef: Opportunities and Challenges for a Differentiated Agricultural Product, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, 2004 -This paper provides a summary and analysis of the literature on beef tenderness assessment and its use for classifying beef according to quality in order to cash in on the premiums consumers are willing to pay for guaranteed tender beef.
• How Serious is the Threat of BSE?, University of California, Davis, 2004 - This video round table discussion provides information about human and animal health consequences and economic implications of the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or more commonly, mad cow disease) found in the United States. Daniel Sumner and José Bervejillo, UC Agricultural Issues Center, and Dean Cliver, UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. (Requires RealPlayer)
• Market Effects of Searching for Mad Cows, ARE Update, 2004, University of California, Davis.
• Marketing Beef to Latino Consumers, Mary Holz-Clause, AgMRC, Iowa State University, 2006.  
• A Multinomial Logit Framework to Estimating Bid Shading in Procurement Auctions, With Application to Cattle Sales in the Texas Panhandle, Kansas State University and the University of California, Davis, 2004 - In this paper, the authors develop an empirical model to estimate the magnitude of bid shading present in an auction based on multinomial probability models.
• Why Can't U.S. Beef Compete in the European Union?  Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, 2002 - In this paper, a short overview of current U.S. trade flows with the European Union (EU) is presented, followed by an estimate of the additional costs of producing beef for that market. Then, given that exports to the EU are so low and the costs of producing, processing and shipping are so high, the paper discusses where producers are marketing their non-treated cattle and beef and whether they are receiving an adequate premium to cover their additional costs.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Beef Harvest Facility List, APHIS, 2003 - Lists plants by state.
• Co-location of Industries with Small Livestock Slaughter Facilities in the Midwest, Iowa State University Extension Value-added Agriculture Program, the North Central Initiative For Small Farms and The Leopold Center For Sustainable Agriculture, 2003 - Examines the potential for co-location of industries next to small, multi-species slaughter plants.
• Dairy Beef Online Course, University of California-Davis - Free to anyone desiring information on market cattle quality and food safety. Tools for assessing and certifying on-farm quality assurance programs are provided. Dairy market cattle are a major source of beef and represent up to 15 percent of a dairy's income. Registration and completion of four quizzes and course evaluation are required to receive a certificate of completion. Dairy and meat scientists, veterinarians and media specialists from six Western states worked with project coordinators at UC-Davis to create this program. The course is also packaged as a trainer's and participant's CD-ROM for individuals requesting in-residence training or without access to the Internet. Now available in Spanish. 
• Meat Preparation: Beef . . . from Farm to Table, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA, 2003 - About 36 million cattle were inspected in 1997 alone by USDA's FSIS. This translates into 64 pounds of beef per person in 1997. In calls to the Hotline, beef is the third food category (behind turkey and chicken) callers most ask about. The fact sheet information answers many of their questions.
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Demonstration Plans, Iowa State University Meat Laboratory - These demonstration plans are tools available to guide plant and processing facilities with developing their own HACCP plans to comply with the Food Safety and Inspection Service.  
• HACCP and Pathogen Reduction, FSIS, USDA - This site has general HACCP information, additional resources and current guidelines.
• Selling Meat and Meat Products, 2004 - Federal, state or local agency inspection is mandatory for any meat or meat product before it can be sold. This publication explains various product categories and tells which inspection each one requires.
University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources free download (6-page pdf).  Includes links to regulatory references and other useful resources. ANR Product Code 814. 
• Slaughter Cow and Bull Processing Feasibility Template, Ag Marketing Resource Center, Oklahoma State University - The template is designed to give an initial overview of the costs, returns and feasibility of a 400 head/hour cow and bull slaughter plant.
• U.S. Beef Packing Industry Industry Profile, Iowa State University, 2003 - The beef sector of the U.S. agricultural economy is dominated by four major packers who control more than 83 percent of the federal slaughtering. A niche exists for smaller single plants that compete in market segments not occupied by major packers.
• USDA Meat and Poultry Helpline - This toll-free telephone service helps consumers prevent food borne illness, specifically by answering their questions about safe storage, handling, and preparation of meat and poultry products. The Helpline may be reached by calling: 1-800-535-4555 (voice), 202-720-3333 (Washington, D.C. area), or 1-800-256-7072 (TDD/TTY).

Production

• Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship (LPES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Fact Sheets - A set of 24 fact sheets and related slide presentations are available to help livestock and poultry producers deal with revised federal regulations for CAFOs. The series seeks to address questions such as: Will my operation be affected by the revised CAFO regulations? What must I do to comply with the CAFO regulations? What is the timeline for achieving compliance? What records do I need to keep and what annual reports do I need to provide to EPA? Is any financial or technical assistance available to achieve compliance? A team of 20 land-grant university faculty, Natural Resource Conservation Service Staff, and National Pork Board staff collaborated on the project, which was managed through the MidWest Plan Service on the Iowa State University campus.

Businesses/Case Studies

• U.S. Premium Beef - Formed in 1996, U.S. Premium Beef (USPB) is a marketing company that provides U.S. beef producers an opportunity to retain ownership of the beef they produce from the ranch to retail.
• U.S. Premium Beef - Interview with Steven Hunt, Chief Executive Officer.

Links checked February 2008.