Buckle Up for a Pro-Beef Media Blitz

Oh, and about all of that heavy funding? (4.00 / 4)

Can somebody please send some of it my way? Seriously. It can be a donation to thank me for my work, or you could advertise your anti-meat campaign on this site. Paypal, credit, and checks are all accepted.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:48:52 AM UTC

Selling stock is not a good sign (4.00 / 2)

for the meat industry. People do not voluntarily give up control of a market unless they are so deep in debt they have to raise money from an initial public offering (IPO), but that would show up in their filing forms. This IPO would be used to enrich the stockholders, read corporate officers, while giving the public the opportunity to buy at the top of the market.  Because of all the small dairies going out of business the price for beef cattle has fallen below the cost of production so the cattle ranchers are going belly up and their entire herds are being sent to the slaughter houses.

When all the small farm financial carnage is over the price of beef will climb very rapidly and margins for the meat packers will be squeezed.  It's one of the oldest tricks on Wall St.  Sell stock in your company just before the industry starts a cyclical decline.

It's a sign that the meat packers see the handwriting on the wall and are cashing out prior to new regulations or trust busting from the Obama administration.

When you consider that the entire meat producing industry is based on cheap feed from farmers, who rely on federal tax dollars in the form of subsidies to produce grains, with no accountability for their chemical and manure pollution, you see that this false farm economy will ultimately lead to it's demise when they are held financially held accountable.

It is my firm belief that once the tax dollar are taken away and both farmers and packers are forced to pay the true cost of pollution then organic food will be shown to be less expensive.  

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 18:20:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Misdirected (4.00 / 1)

This campaign seems weirdly misdirected. Are the integrators making so much money they can afford to waste it like that?

In the U.S., per capita chicken consumption surpassed beef consumption with no help from vegetarians. George Watts thinks per capita consumption of chicken, pork, and beef is increasing, from 182 lbs in 1972 to 202 lbs in 2007. During that period, chicken consumption more than doubled while beef consumption decreased 24%. In 2007, we ate 87 pounds of chicken per person, but only 65 pounds of beef.

Chicken industry

Date: 2007-12-01
By George Watts

This is the gang that can't shoot straight - they should be aiming at Tyson and JBS. Instead, in the way of the world, I suppose the beef campaign will be joined by one from the chicken/pork people, all defending themselves against the terrible depradations of the forces of broccoli and apples.

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by: count @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 12:32:03 PM UTC

Overlap between the two industries (4.00 / 2)

The real powers in the meat industry overlap.  For example, Tyson and JBS both control a large percentage of the beef, chicken, AND pork markets.

As for where the money comes from ... the checkoffs are funded off the backs of the ranchers.  Every time a cow is sold, the seller is required BY LAW to pay $1 into the checkoff.  And it doesn't matter that the checkoff promotes practices that you may be 100% against, such as feedlot beef -- under the law, you have to pay them.  I still don't understand how the Supreme Court failed to find that this was a violation of people's First Amendment rights, but there it is ...  

Protect our farms - Stop NAIS!  Go to http://FarmAndRanchFreedom.org for more information.

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by: JudithM @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 12:59:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Tyson and JBS (4.00 / 1)

You're right about Tyson, according to the Tyson website. As for JBS,

JBS Expects to Sell Shares of U.S. Unit in January, Batista Says

By Lucia Kassai
Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- JBS SA, the world's biggest beef producer, expects to hold the initial public offering of its U.S. unit in January

Thanks for the correction. Knocks my argument silly, doesn't it? I guess the broccoli farmers are the only guys left to attack. Sigh.

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by: count @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 13:12:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

In stock market terms this is not a good omen, (4.00 / 2)

for the meat industry. People do not voluntarily give up control of a market unless they are so deep in debt they have to raise money from an initial public offering (IPO), but that would show up in their filing forms. This IPO would be used to enrich the stockholders, read corporate officers, while giving the public the opportunity to buy at the top of the market.  Because of all the small dairies going out of business the price for beef cattle has fallen below the cost of production so the cattle ranchers are going belly up and their entire herds are being sent to the slaughter houses.

When all the small farm financial carnage is over the price of beef will climb very rapidly and margins for the meat packers will be squeezed.  It's one of the oldest tricks on Wall St.  Sell stock in your company just before the industry starts a cyclical decline.

It's a sign that the meat packers see the handwriting on the wall and are cashing out prior to new regulations or trust busting from the Obama administration.

When you consider that the entire meat producing industry is based on cheap feed from farmers, who rely on federal tax dollars in the form of subsidies to produce grains, with no accountability for their chemical and manure pollution, you see that this false farm economy will ultimately lead to it's demise when they are held financially held accountable.

It is my firm belief that once the tax dollar are taken away and both farmers and packers are forced to pay the true cost of pollution then organic food will be shown to be less expensive.

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by: OrganicGeorge @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 18:15:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

JBS IPO (4.00 / 1)

Although everything you wrote may be true, I think the IPO is merely the normal next step after the recent acquisition of Pilgrim's Pride (chicken company) by JBS.

Nevertheless, your comment provokes thought. The beef industry is in trouble, so the CBB  tries to divert the ire of producers by attacking Meatless Mondays?

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by: count @ Tue Nov 17, 2009 at 00:12:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Trust busting (4.00 / 1)

I have not yet seen any signs of impending trust busting from the Obama admin. What do you know that I don't?

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by: count @ Tue Nov 17, 2009 at 00:25:22 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

CBB (4.00 / 3)

Jill's links are from the Cattlemen's Beef Board.

In practice, USDA exercises approval authority over all promotional materials, including advertising, and all producer communications, in advance of their dissemination.

Is it time to ask WTF?

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by: count @ Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 12:45:12 PM UTC