30 Mar Fri 2012
It's Beef Dude
So says the Governor of Nebraska, about “pink slime”, well Governor if it is beef let’s grind the hide, hoofs, bones, and some of the internals as well, and horns of selected breeds.
In most people’s eyes ground beef would mean the muscle of Bos taurus, not all the other parts as well.All I can say Governor is “come on man”.This is the agricultural factory farms at their best.
Look at it from the industries point of view, on a typical beef cow, the industry, like the rest of us might realize 150 to 200 pounds of ground beef per animal. (You don’t grind the T-bones of a beef cow.) But if you add in 20 pounds of “pink slim”, that is a 10% increase in the amount of ground beef per animal.Couple that fact, with the fact that the connective tissue doesn’t end up in a dumpster, and it is a win, win situation for the industry. Lower expenses and increased sales, what’s not to love?
But this is not what everyone does; “pink slime” was only available from a small select group of processors, at the extremely large packing houses.I small processor like we use can’t afford the equipment, must less the ding to their reputation for such a practice.
While the industry may grind parts from 10,000 to 20,000 animals per day and commingle all that beef; that is not the way family scale beef processing is done.At Walnut Hill Farm, we process two cows at a time, using Fauquier’s Finest; the ground beef you receive from us is the muscle from those two cows only.And if we requested, the ground beef would not be commingled.In fact if you purchase one-half beef from us all of the ground beef comes out of that half only.
The industry is always looking for items like “pink slim” to increase the bottom line.I have to increase the bottom line using quality, and sound management practices.But don’t worry, by and large “pink slim was mostly served in school cafeterias, not Ruth Crist Steakhouses.
With one or two exceptions (refrigeration) try to determine what agriculture practices were in place prior to factory agriculture, and seek out those that adhere to those old time practices.
Modern factory agriculture is more concerned about a healthy bottom line than it is concerned about your health and well being.You have the power to change the industry, exert that power with your shopping dollars.
Have you ever seen a box of premade hamburger patties, and then look at the ingredients only to discover that beef isn’t the first ingredient, it makes you wonder, doesn’t it.
No Governor it isn’t beef, and it never was what anyone unknowingly thought was beef.But if you are so proud of this product, why don’t you have some served at the next White House State Diner?Just like I thought.
Jeff