A living heritage—the
farmer-rancher at the trailhead—Today, the beef
trail to Asia still begins with cow-calf producers, in
Kansas and in surrounding states. Ranchers “remain
practitioners of the most romantic and most American of
all occupations—it is not a job, but a way of life.”
(Stull and Broadway 2004:27). Describing a roundup and
branding in 1992, Stull and Broadway say, “branding
was little different from those of a century earlier”
(Stull and Broadway 2004:xx). The “[round up] is,
in fact, a ritual of both renewal and passage, one that
brings neighbors together each spring, after a long winter
of cold and isolation, to help one another; to share tools
and labor; to visit and retell tales over good food and
drink; to demonstrate their common bond and community--to
reaffirm a living heritage” (Stull and Broadway
2004:27).
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Showing a bull at the Kansas State
Fair
Photo by S. Willis |
The new cow towns of Kansas—Communities
like Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, and Emporia have
been most affected by changes in the beef industry in
the last two decades. They are home to large-capacity
beef processing plants, constructed or expanded since
1980. Over the last 25 years, Garden City, for example,
has been one of the fastest growing and most diverse
cities in Kansas, with a large influx of Hispanic and
Southeast Asian laborers. The influx of population has
brought many challenges to the local community but has
also created “a vibrant multicultural community.
Its emerging Latino and Asian business communities have
enriched the economy and society of southwest Kansas”
(Stull and Broadway 2004:114).
Economics of beef in Kansas—Data
through 1997 show that for Kansas “the overall economic
impact associated with agriculture was about US$30 billion,
supporting 243,000 jobs in 1997” (Leatherman and
Howard 2000:8). In the agricultural production industry,
which did not include meatpacking, the “combined
sectors of cattle feedlots and other cattle generated
nearly half of all agricultural production industry sales
with over US$4.3 billion in 1997. These sectors also accounted
for about 16,800 jobs and US$900 million in all types
of income” (Leathermen and Howard 2000:2). Considered
separately, meatpacking was found to be “the largest
food processing sector [and] accounted for nearly US$5.3
billion in sales, about 15,000 jobs and nearly US$600
million in total income in 1997” (Leatherman and
Howard 2000:2).
Southwest Kansas “contains the largest concentration
of beef packing plants in the United States, with a
daily slaughter capacity of 23,500 head and employment
of over 10,000 persons” (Broadway 2000:22). While
the meatpacking industry has grown significantly, shifted
geographically and consolidated to take advantage of
nearby feedlots and the economies of scale, the number
of cow-calf producers statewide has dropped from 51,846
to 36,244 since 1978 (Broadway 2000:22-23). “Beef
packing has brought a measure of prosperity to southwest
Kansas but it is essential that the industry’s
environmental impact be addressed so as to ensure the
region’s long-term economic future and avoid the
familiar western phenomenon of boom followed by bust”
(Broadway 2000:29).
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Charolais cattle at the Kansas
State Fair
Photo by S. Willis |
To maintain viability in the often razor-thin profit margins
of the volatile cattle market, successful Kansas ranchers
carefully tailor their approach to the cattle-raising
business. Many choose different segments of the cattle
raising industry. Some focus on producing calves with
a cow-calf operation. Others feed weaned calves through
a certain phase of growth. In the traditional spirit of
individual entrepreneurship of U.S. cattlemen, a few ranchers
experiment with niche market products, such as organic
beef or grass-fed beef.
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Cattle grazing on native grass
pasture in central Kansas
Photo by S. Willis |
Wagyu in Kansas—In
the early and mid-1990s, several Kansas ranchers experimented
with raising beef cattle crossbred with Japanese Wagyu,
the breeds that produce the highly valued Kobe beef.
Some of these ranchers experienced remarkable success
by crossbreeding Wagyu with Simmental, Holsteins, and
other breeds. Ranchers report that the Wagyu-cross beef
had the desired characteristics prized in Wagyu beef—tenderness
and heavy marbling. Most Wagyu producers discovered,
however, that although local restaurants might purchase
the product, there was no outlet for marketing Wagyu
on a scale that would justify the input by the producers.
Most of the Wagyu producers in Kansas are no longer
raising Wagyu but still speak highly of the breeds.
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Prize Wagyu Bull at Rooks County
Fair
Photo courtesy of R. Baldwin |
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| A journalist's
account of the life of a steer illustrated the economic
pressures faced by today's ranchers. The writer invested
in a calf on a South Dakota ranch and followed the animal’s
progress through weaning, grazing, transition feeding,
and, finally, “finishing” with intensive grain
and protein rations on a feedlot in Finney County, Kansas.
The steer was expected to reach 1,200 pounds at time of
sale to a local packing house for slaughter and processing.
After investing a total of US$917 for the purchase price
of the calf ($598), feed, antibiotics, and other expenses
on the ranch ($61), and 160 days boarding costs at the
feedlot, including hormone implants ($258), the journalist
expected to earn a profit of US$27 (Pollan 2002). |
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