By David MacKenzie | Contributing Editor U.S. BEEF CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
W hen you arrive in Hereford, Texas, it is very clear that you are entering the “Beef Capital of the World.” The U.S. has fully claimed this title with the scale and continued commitment the nation has to producing beef. This was brought home to me during my visit earlier this year when, regardless which state we were in or restaurant we visited, the tenderness and flavor of the beef was consistently exceptional. So what is the difference between the two beef industries and how can the U.K. replicate this consistency? First, the scale of the U.S. is completely different from our island. The U.K.’s land mass is similar to the state of Oregon, while the U.S. population is considerably bigger at 342 million compared to 69 million in the U.K. The U.S. has nearly 10 times more cattle, but one stark difference is av- erage beef consumption, reported at 67 lbs. per person in the U.S., compared to a U.K. average of 37 lbs. per person. The importance of food production to any nation is an absolute priority. It is clear to me that beef production is close to the beating heart of the U.S., where it certainly hasn’t been for a number of years in the U.K. Agriculture, specifically livestock production, is currently struggling
to find a place in government policy and playing a distant second to renewable energy. Genetic lines are largely following the same path, with Angus being the dominant breed in both the U.S. and U.K., and Holsteins making an ever-larger percentage of the dam line. Our native breeds like the Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn and Hereford compete with the European Charolais, Simmental and Limousin. Angus has an un- touchable brand that is recognized and reaches directly to the consumer. It’s the first choice for the dairy farmer with Wagyu also now coming into the market. There are individual and locational differences in ranchers in every country, but one area that I have clear admiration for Americans is on feed intakes. In the U.K., we simply fed cattle to appetite and predicted intake, and make man- agement decisions simply on the financial performance between buying and selling while estimating the “bit in the middle.” Respected cattle feeder Tom Jones at Hy-Plains Feedyard at Montezuma, Kan., said,“Rather than being the biggest, be the best, and the only way to do that is on data.”
IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT BEEF PRODUCTION IS CLOSE TO THE BEATING HEART OF THE U.S., WHERE IT CERTAINLY HASN’T BEEN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE U.K.
10
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs