The most expensive pound of beef may be the pound the system still celebrates. We talk about carcass weight like every pound means the same thing. Those pounds are very different. A 600 lb forage-developed calf and a 600 lb conventionally pushed calf may weigh the same on the scale, but their nutritional paths are not the same, nor is their ultimate value to the food supply. One is being built around movement, forage conversion, muscle, and slower biological development. The other is being primed for rapid gain, energy density, and a more limited nutritional outcome. The game becomes about gross pounds—not animal wellbeing. Economics start changing long before the rail. In the desired 950→1,000 lb carcass, the animal added 50 lb of carcass weight. Only about 2.2 lb became added positive retail beef. About 28.8 lb became fat trim/rendering, and 20.9 lb became non-retail burden. That 2.2 lb of added beef cost $54.44 to create, or about $24.75/lb. Net out the mid-tier cut loss, and the actual saleable gain falls to about 0.4 lb, pushing the cost above $136/lb. The carcass got heavier, but those last 50 lb decreased the value of the whole carcass. Packers can avoid the loss by discounting heavy, fat, inefficient carcasses and pushing the burden upstream. They are not just mitigating the problem; they can profit from pounds that create little useful beef. We talk too much about pounds and not enough about what kind of pounds are being created. What rancher really thinks a 1,000 lb carcass is naturally healthy for a calf? We all know there is some evil space monkeys mastermind nonsense going on here— “but that is where the market is moving.” Blah, blah, blah. That is the same dull acceptance that allowed grocery shelves to become dominated by processed and ultra-processed foods. We are going that way with our whole muscle proteins. Garbage in, garbage out. The most profitable pound is not always the last pound added.

😬 scary stats

I’ve been wanting to try it ever since learning that beef tallow has a higher smoke point AND adds more flavor. So I need you to tell me: do you cook with beef tallow? What do you use it for? I’m taking notes! (Also, did you see those Royal Ranch beef sticks? DELICIOUS!!)

After visiting the Grow Farm last week, I've been thinking alot about food and specifically my food - being more of a "city dweller". And I thought that going to the Farmer's Market is about the most decentralized thing that I can do on a day-to-day action - buying direct, cutting out the middlemen. So I went on Sunday. On my way home it occurred to me that, when I go back - and I will go back, I should start asking each vendor if they accept crypto. I figure they may be more open to talking about decentralized systems since they're already a part of one. I'll drop a picture of my haul in the comments of this post. When was the last time you went to a Farmer's Market?