I'm glad we aren't much of meat eaters. Every time I look at meat prices, I get sticker shock and wonder how people can afford to pay for it.

That's why I buy locally from a farmer friend.

We went vegetarian about a month ago. My cholesterol dropped 30 points, I've lost 8 pounds (DH has lost 15), and our grocery bill is cut in half.

Just sayin'.

The American public wants meat 3 times a day. The American public wants cheap, easily accessible meat. The American public doesn't want to kill the animal itself, or have anything to do with the process other than pick it up in a nice, neat package. For a good price, of course.

The industry responds by mass producing the meat, wasting far more food feeding the animals than is ever produced from the animal. Pumping them full of antibiotics and steroids to make them grow faster, keep them standing, if not healthy, and send them to slaughter as fast as possible.

It's basic economics. When the demand is for vast amount of cheap product, the quality diminishes. And then when people are hooked enough on the substance, they can keep the low quality AND raise the price because they know very well that most people won't go vegetarian and they WILL pay it, even though they complain about it. These industries are very smart and they play the game well.

I think it's only going to get worse from here. Lentils are cheap. :)

Meat is absolutely nothing like it used to be. All steaks taste like they've been washed out. If you want them to be somewhat tender, you have to marinate or tenderize them. If you want flavor, you have to add seasoning or sauces. Pork chops I used to be able to cook in the oven, uncovered, and they would be tender, juicy and full of flavor. Chicken used to have flavor. I could go on. I could easily become a vegetarian, if my husband wasn't still such a meat-eater.

and then there is.....all beef you see in the stores is labeled as Black Angus. Is this now just a generic name for beef? Or a ploy to charge more? I can't believe that all beef raised are Black Angus, aren't there other breeds of beef cow? I admit to being a 'city girl' but I;ve been wondering about this.
I so agree with Tobygirl, flavor juiciness and tenderness just aren't words I use to describe any kinds of meat I buy. and I could exist with much less meat, but I too am married to Mr. meateater.

Inputs are up - so the beef price is up. The drought in the south has impacted the market also. No feed down there.

Supermarket beef is not aged, and is not a high grade of beef. It is probably Select at best. The beef that we have butchered for our own use is hung for 3 weeks.

Our beef usually is graded at Prime and goes directly to the restaurant trade. We also don't use any implants on our beef so it is a much slower process to have it market ready. We do not get any more or less $$ for this type of beef though. But is has more marbling and the steak cuts are larger.

Pretty much anything can be labeled Black Angus. We have had buyers buy semi loads of our cattle, and as long as they were black - they were going to be sold as Black Angus (which they partially are - but not 100%) If the beef is labeled Certified Black Angus - that probably really is Black Angus. To be certified Black Angus - they have to meet a stricter guideline.

When you look for a cut of meat at the market - don't pick that one that is all red. You want the marbling and fat in it. Otherwise you will have a dry tough tasteless piece of meat.