Bull Calf
Already at two weeks old, this calf wears the stamp of his daddy, a Potter's Emmett Valley Angus bull sired by Brussett Mayor 59 (our cow 415).
With fresh cholesterol concerns not too many years ago, one was hard-pressed to find a tender, flavorful steak in a store or restaurant. On the ranch, we were crossing our cows with leaner breeds because meat-packers wanted what they thought would be a more marketable product. And despite the industry’s naive sojourn into TV advertising, per capita consumption was down. More than any other single influence, I credit Costco’s long shelves of USDA Choice beef for changing minds of both producers and consumers and for educating a generation who had never tasted a decent piece of meat.
Today’s media-driven drama for food safety demands more accountability on the ranch. Anticipating Animal ID legislation, we began numbering our replacement heifers in 2004. But despite our reluctance to comply with political and public pressure, at least we know where this calf came from.
Comments
Hi John and Robbin--Here's my thought on animal ID. It is my experience that when the federal government makes up its mind to do something (like come onto your property and look at/requisition your cows), they have plenty of power to do so. We have been doing premise ID in the sheep industry for several years for the purpose of eradicating scrapie, and it is not the end of the world. My opinion: bigger battles to fight, like increasing market share for red meat! Sharon
Posted by: Sharon S. O'Toole | September 24, 2007 7:13 PM
Hi Sharon – In California, a GPS Premise ID is included with brand inspection papers whether or not each animal has a button in its ear. But I resist the notion of keeping track and tagging each individual as a bookkeeping nightmare and object to my business being accessible to anyone under the Freedom of Information Act. But accountability has been an issue since women came West to expect men, who were really boys without authority, to wipe their feet and wash their hands. Culturally consistent, I resist, but will probably comply when the time comes rather than fight a battle I can’t win, or have cattle I can’t sell otherwise. Thanks for checking-in.
Posted by: John Dofflemyer | September 25, 2007 6:01 AM