Re: [RC] OT - Mad Cow Disease in WA State - Barbara McCrary
Yes, the price of beef is up. It is the
first time in the 53 years I've been involved in beef cattle production that the
price we can get for calves comes anywhere near the steadily increasing costs of
producing them. Prices we get are subject to the market, up and down, up
and down, mostly low enough so we can barely cover costs. Prices for feed,
equipment, pasture lease, etc. continue mostly up over the years. Try
hard not to be too critical of the beef industry, or farmers in general.
After all, they are the ones who lay their livelihood and their welfare on the
line to feed all the people of this nation, and of many other nations,
too. We are at the mercy of the weather, insect pests, the grass supply,
and the market. We don't set the price we get, the market does, and we
take what we can get. Don't complain about the price of food; just think
what it would be like to not have enough to eat.
