Whats the difference

[grassfarmer]

A letter in the Canadian Cattleman magazine this week quotes different figures on the same topic. The writer claims 293 million Americans have an annual slaughter of 36.6 million cattle which equates to 8 people per animal slaughtered. Canada has 31 million people and slaughters 3.5 million cattle a year or 9 people per animal slaughtered. I don't know if these figures are accurate but it certainly looks kind of interesting.

[almoy]

I was just comparing the size of herds for each country. As we all know a lot of our animals used to be slaughtered in the US so past slaughter rates can be deceiving.

[magpie]

We might also consider that avg consumption of beef per person in Canada is 49lbs compared to 67.8 lbs in the United States.

[nerves]

You might have a point magpie but is that before BSE or after? I know there is also a lot of Americans who can no longer afford to eat it.(I have some American relatives and friends). After last summer we must have boosted consumtion a little.

[magpie]

Monday, February 2, 2004

Poultry, red meat consumption record high predicted
Chris Hill
Poultry Times Staff chill@poultryandeggnews.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON -- USDA's Economic Research Service expects total poultry and red meat consumption this year to reach a record 221.7 pounds per person in the U.S.

The agency, in its latest Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, forecasts per capita broiler consumption at 82 pounds this year, compared to the expected 81.4 pounds for 2003. December totals have yet to be calculated.

Broilers, at 37 percent of total poultry and red meat consumption, represents the largest share of meat to be consumed next year. By comparison, per capita consumption of beef is expected to total 67.8 pounds (30.6 percent of the total) and pork consumption is forecast at 51.6 pounds (23.3 percent of the total).

Turkey and egg consumption, however, are expected to decline slightly. Per capita consumption of turkey is forecast at 17.3 pounds, compared to 17.6 for 2003. Egg consumption is expected to drop to 250 total eggs from 252.2 last year.
The 49lbs per person in canada was mentioned on ag vision this morning. I'll dig deeper to see if this is a recent number

[magpie]

Food consumption
2002
Canadians are including more cereal products, low-fat milk, cream and poultry in their diets, according to data on the amount of food consumed. New experimental data, based on estimates of food available for consumption, have been adjusted to account for retail, household, cooking and plate loss.

Canadians are eating more pasta, bakery products and cereal-based snacks. This hefty demand has resulted in the consumption of grain-based products reaching 65.6 kilograms per person in 2002, up substantially from 53.3 kilograms per person a decade ago.

Lower-fat milks still appear to be the popular choice among consumers over higher-fat milk. Canadians are drinking 26.7 fewer litres per person of higher-fat milk than they did 30 years ago. Lower-fat varieties such as 1% and skim milk continue to grab higher market shares.

However, Canadians have not abandoned higher-fat products entirely. Cream continues to show a surge in popularity, as consumption in 2002 reached 5.3 litres per person, up just over 1 litre per person from a decade ago. This growth is in line with the increasing consumption of coffee in recent years, especially from food service establishments.

Red meat consumption totalled 27.1 kilograms per person in 2002, down from 27.6 kilograms in 2001. This decrease is due mainly to declining beef and pork consumption. Beef consumption fell 2.2% to 13.3 kilograms per person. Pork consumption, at just over 12.0 kilograms per person in 2002, dropped 2.5% from 2001. A surge in exports, fuelled by strong demand for Canadian pork in the United States and Japan, offset increased supplies.

In 2002, poultry consumption reached 13.6 kilograms per person, up 23.5% from a decade ago. Each Canadian consumed more than 11.0 kilograms of chicken. The ongoing popularity of easy-to-prepare and ready-to-eat chicken products with time conscious consumers has contributed to the overall increased intake of chicken. Despite the growth in chicken consumption, beef remains the most popular choice of meat for Canadians.

According to this it would seem that 49 lbs on ag vision was the latest number as 29.2 was 2002 consumption. It seems rather low doesn't it?

[cowman]

I heard one quote awhile back that said Canada had to export 70% of it's beef production! Now I doubt it. In the west we export a whole lot of cattle but in the east I expect a whole lot of American beef comes in? Not to mention the Aussie/NewZealand stuff?
But if we do over produce there is a simple solution...reduce the cow herd?
Why is the cow herd so large in the west? Simply put...the bright lights in Parliment killed the CROW! Does anyone really believe if we were getting a decent return on grain we'd bother keeping a bunch of old cows? I remember the year the CROW died UFA did a booming business selling posts and barbed wire as all the grain farmers started to seed down that good black dirt to grass! Land that can grow 80-100 bu. of barley should never have been put down to grass, in my opinion...but yet, I did the same thing?
Government bungling compromised the grain industry and led to the oversupply in cattle. If they hadn't been such idiots and weeping nellies back then we wouldn't have this problem today?

[amazed]

The removal of the CROW was not handled well at all but it was not all just the government's fault.

Groups like Sask.WheatPool and the NFU doddled, dallied and bickered long enough that the initial amount proposed by the feds was reduced substantially.

[Horse]

Cowman I agree that every one sold thier combine and dug a silage pit and became cattle producers and with all this whining by the feedlots there are lots that are making good money custom feeding and there are those that are making good money on thier silage but claiming a loss on the cattle in our area it was dry but some got 13 ton silage and some got 2 ton per acre it all depended if the showers hit you or not so one may loose and one may win.

[grassfarmer]

" Land that can grow 80-100 bu. of barley should never have been put down to grass, in my opinion."
That is a truly breathtaking statement Cowman, but one I've heard before in Canada. "Land that is too good to grow grass on - wow"
I thought the prairies were one of the greatest grasslands the world has ever known - until the settlers came. The land in it's original health would have reared many more cows, fattened all the steers on grass at two years old and been sustainable in perpetuaty. Instead we have tilled the land until the organic matter is gone, erosion is a problem and no one is making any money growing grain anyway. A system based on oil, a finite resource recovered right here in Alberta using finite drinking water. Why are we so intent on this cycle of self destruction? Will we never learn that nature is a provider for us not something to be beaten smashed and outwitted?