The fake meat fad has finally been exposed as a complete waste of money

Do you eat fish? And poultry? You’ve mentioned mammals numerous times. Just curious.

 

If the market is plugged with veal calves and the price is low they just get knocked in the head and thrown onto a pile with the others until the tallow truck gets there.
No feedlot, in our area at least, is going to feed a calf for year. They'll dump them and take a small loss rather than a large one.

 

Isn’t veal milk fed?

 

With all the dairies moving out of CA and into TX and KS a lot of people are feeding Holsteins. They process some in KS, some get hauled other places. The funny thing is that places like the plant in Brawley CA that process a lot of dairy cattle need a certain amount of beef cattle every week to blend in because dairy meat is so low quality.

 

What

Okay. I don't see the connection though. How does dairies leaving California have anything to do with feeding Holsteins for a year? What am I not seeing here?
My cousin runs a grade A dairy in the central valley and a lot of times he sends the bull calves out dead on the tallow wagon. The heifer calves get fed if they're going to be replacements but otherwise they go for veal...at a really crappy price.

 

Easier access to feed in the Midwest. Distillers is plentiful. There are yards in KS that are nothing but Holsteins. Steers are cheap, feed is easy to get, and packing plants are close.

 

IDK how it works in Cali... but the Midwest and upper Midwest and Tx & NM dairies sent their bull calves to alot of small feed lots here in Iowa & SD.. to be fed out for Harvest weight which is about 1600 lbs it takes 18 mths to get them to that goal weight then they are mostly grade quality .. because they don't marble & very lean .. I've hauled alot of those 300 lb dairy calves in to those small feed lots .. there are 4 of them within a mile of my house they feed about 400 of them at a time .. and in Wi. those holstein steers weighting 1600 will bring about .30 to .35 cents about under what fat beef cattle are bring'n .. I've haul alot of 1600 to 1700 lb holsteins in to Green Bay .. or even gone to the JBS plant north of Philly Pa. with em..
Their not worthless & there is a market for em .. just not on the west coast .. which is just another 1 of the many reasons dairies are leaving Cali .. theres others reasons also
Your law makers in Cali did no favors to residences when they passed (Proposition 13 ) I think thats the correct proposition.. 2 of the 3 biggest pork producers in the USA have the Main offices loacted with in 50 miles of me .. I don't haul hogs but have friends that do .. and both those producers are not willing to make the changes required by the stateof Cali..
Cali will now be at Smithfield's mercy..

 

Okay, that makes sense. I'm like a lot of other people who don't pay much attention to anything besides my own back yard. We're not a big outfit but everything we do is in California and our place was started by my Great Grandfather. We're not going anywhere any time soon.
18 months on feed? What percentage of gain are they looking for? LOL...if I had the time I'd feed one up just to watch it. It would probably remind me of one of those Ace Reid cartoons.



If feed is cheap enough I guess it makes sense to feed out those dairy critters but I sure couldn't do it full time and make out on the price. The way things are, we just try not to lose any more money than we have to.

 

It's totally understandable to be honest I don't know how things work on the West coast its been along time since I was out there
In fairness to you not knowing this holistein thing is only been really going the last 6 or 7 years... theres 2 reasons why alot are fed here there is a plentyfull amount of feed which it does take alot to feed from what they've told me their target is 2lbs per day gain .. but Iam not conveinced they reach that target.. I know 1 feed lot claims they are agv 2.5.. I think they might be but they also feed beef calves and they are good with feed rations

My point is alot for the feed lots are owned & operated by Amish.... are they making alot of money .??? IDK .. I kinda doubt it.. but they make a living .. thats my take of it
Personally .. I would much rather come to your ranch and load feeder calves from a 4th generation rancher and have good quality calves on my wagon
Then deal with the stupid holistein cattle and trying to load or unload at a make shift place that is desgined for a horse & buggy and not a truck & 53' trailer

 

You could tell them how you feel. Really shove it in their face with something like "if God didn't want us using electricity, he wouldn't have made it".