Beef production

Suckler herds dominate organic beef production, partly because organic rules forbid the purchase of calves from the market, thus 

In analysing the percentage contribution to extra gross margin per ha of top suckler herds and top 18-month beef producers from data collected by the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC), Wilkinson (1984) lists the factors that govern success in Table 3.4. He also notes that the cows of top beef producers were back in calf ten days earlier than the average, and the calving period was three weeks shorter. 

Empty bodyweight gain = liveweight gain corrected for empty bodyweight on the basis of gut-fill values. 

As Wilkinson (1984) states, flexibility in grassland management is essential, particularly when young beef cattle are reared at pasture, or when store cattle or suckled calves are finished on grass. The overall goal must be to improve the predictability of beef cattle growth, so that plans made at the outset for the beef system are realistic and are reflected in the actual level of performance. 

The key planning decisions are the season of calving and whether calves are sold at the autumn sales, overwintered for sale as stores in 

---

Cederberg, C. and Stadig, M. (2003). System expansion and allocation in life cycle assessment of milk and beef production. Int. J. LCA 8,350-356. 

No breed or crossbred is best for the wide range of beef production systems. Variations in growth rate and earliness of maturity make... 

Allen, D.M. (1990) Planned Beef Production and Marketing. Blackwell Science, Oxford. 

Meili, E.A. (2002) Low Input Milk and Beef Production in Organic Farming. Proceedings of the 14th IFOAM Organic World Congress, Victoria BC, Canada, p. 88. 

Lowman, B.G. (1989) Organic beef production. Organic Meat Production in the 90s. Chalcombe Publications, Maidenhead. 

Pelletier, N. Pirog, R. Rasmussen, R. Comparative life cycle environmental impacts of three beef production strategies in the Upper Midwestern United States. Agri. Syst. 2010,103, 380-389. 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA has estimated that Campylobacter and Salmonella are the top two bacterial foodbome pathogens as they are responsible for a total of 2 and 1.3 million foodbome infections every year (Mead et al., 1999). Most of the cases of infection with Campylobacter and Salmonella appear to be due to eggs and poultry, but a significant number of cases are related to beef products (CDC, 2005 Jay, 2000). EHEC does not cause as many infections as the top two pathogens (approximately 100,000 in the USA), but EHEC is frequently linked to outbreaks of diarrhea caused by the consumption of contaminated ground beef (Mead et al., 1999, Rangel et al., 2005). Infections caused by EHEC are the major microbial public health concern related to ruminant food products. 

ConAgra Beef (June 2002, US). E. coli in beef products, 13 deaths... 

ConAgra recalled 354,000 pounds of beef products. Media warned about E. coli... 

Watson, C. A. and D. Younie (1995). Nitrogen balanees in organically and conventionally managed beef production systems. In Pollot, E. G. (ed) Grassland into the 21 century Challenges and opportunities, 97-199. 

Precooked beef products, often referred to as "convenience" and "institutional" foods, comprise 35% of all the beef sold and consumed in America today this represents almost 10 billion in consumer expenditures on meat. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the flavor of beef and what factors affect the flavor would be critical to continued sales in this large market. 

It is obvious, therefore, that the EU decision to ban the growth-promoting hormones, both natural and synthetic, in beef production has no scientific basis. There is little doubt that the ban was initially developed, in large part, in response to consumer pressure by the widely publicized illegal use of DES in veal calves in Italy several years ago. This publicity caused some antitechnology activists to seek a ban on all hormone products. 

Keatinge, R. and Elliott, J. 1997. Organic Sheep and Beef Production in the Hills and Uplands. Project... 

Total heme pigments vary among species and muscles, with levels >140 ppm for cooked beef products (Pearson and Tauber, 1984). Carpenter and Clark (1995) used the acetone extraction method of Hornsey (1956) to determine heme iron content of various cooked meats. They reported heme iron levels of 21,9, 2.2, and 1.4 ppm for cooked beef round, pork picnic, pork loin, and chicken breast, respectively. Hemin (mol. wt. 652) is 8.54% iron. Thus, these meats contained 245, 105,25, and 16 ppm total heme, respectively (Carpenter and Clark, 1995). Ahn andMaurer (1989a) reported a value of 23 ppm total heme in cooked turkey breast. 

HAAs HPLC-MS. Supelco LC-CN or Supelco LC-18-DB column. Mobile phase NH4 (acetate) (pH = 6.8)-ACN-MeOH in gradient elution. Low ppb level Cooked beef products, beef extract, fried beef MeOH extraction, cleaning on XAD-2, ethylacetate elution. 1%... 

These data suggest that processed meats (e.g., hot dogs, bologna, and salami) contain more chemicals than muscle products (e.g., steak or chicken breast). This could be a function of the fat content of these processed meats. In general, beef products are more contaminated than pork products, whereas poultry have very few contaminants. Clearly, there appears to be some correlation between the amount of fat in protein products and the occurrence of synthetic chemicals in a given product. The number of chemical contaminates in fish may also be correlated to the occurrence of fatty acids. For example, salmon and tuna are known to have more fatty acids than haddock. Therefore, it is expected that salmon would contain more contaminants than haddock. 

There are two well known synthetic thyroid hormones commonly administered by bodybuilders known as T-4 and T-3. ( See "Synthroid" and "Cytomel" for more info) However, some have not yet heard of another natural thyroid hormone called T-2 or L-diiodothyronine. The good new is that it is highly active and naturally occurring in some foods such as beef products. It is also non-prescription in many countries...so far. The bad news is that since it works quite well and offers individuals freedom of choice, it probably will not be legal for long. 

Growth promoters and their effects on beef production... 

Grain-fed/corn-fed Although there is no official definition, this term describes the usual process of large-scale beef production, during which cattle are fed a diet of specially formulated feed, based on corn or other grains," according to the USDA. This diet can also include molasses, cottonseed, and protein supplements. 

---