How American Ranchers Raise And Process Millions Of Cattle - Farming Documentary

in the United States meat doesn't just simply go  from Farm to processing plant and to your plate   so how complicated is this process really  and what happens to male Dairy cares that   can't produce milk today we'll visit four  unique livestock Industries in the US to   answer these [Music] questions the journey of  a delicious steak begins at a cow calf Ranch   where mother cows give birth then farmers raise  their babies and wean them on pastures once they   reach about 750 lb typically at 7 months of  age they will be sold to the background Ranch   and stay there for about 3 to 4 months then  the feed lot ranchers will buy them through   auctions these auctions are large scale and  take place every every week cattle are tagged   for easy identification and led into pens until  it's their turn to be sold when it's time they   are LED into the auction ring it is actually a  large scale so buyers can easily see the cattle   information and its weights right from their  seats the auctioneer leads this auction with   a very fast chant to encourage buyers to compete  sometimes leading them to bid higher than planned   each cow is typically sold for around $90 and  sales can reach millions of dollars on a normal   day feed lot is the final stage of the cattle  farming chain so it's pretty large scale Texas   is the leading State accounting for 14% of the  total us cattle inventory as of January 2024 here   the beef cows are fed on a ration of grain and and  protein supplements for every 6 lb of Feed the cow   will gain 1B and every day they gain at least  2.5 lb this diet also promotes great marbling   resulting in carcasses that meet the three quality  grades of the US Department of Agriculture once   the cows reach about 1,300 L they're ready for  Slaughter at the Meat Packers stressed cows   produce tougher meat so the staff try to avoid  slipping and falling when offloading them to the   resting pens where they relax for a few hours then  they will go through these shoot systems with high   solid sides to keep them from being agitated  workers use a captive bolt gun to render them   unconscious immediately before feeling any pain  it doesn't leave any marks on the cow's head but   leaves some natural nerve reflexes after that they  are then quickly skinned eviscerated and cleaned   under highpressure warm water to remove dirt that  is invisible to the naked eye each carcass will be   tagged for easy tracking employees will then take  them to a 95° f cold room to cool them down before   inspection and Grading these carcasses have been  stamped with the US Department of agricultures   certified Angus beef grade three blue stamp  now they will be moved to The Cutting area   each order has different specs and these workers  are separating the muscle from the bone and the   fat from the lean although the plants are now  larger and have more Machinery than in the past   labor is still essential after cutting the meat  gets vacuum sealed in a special machine to stay   fresh for up to 3 months next workers check each  box of meat and put labels on them these labels   show the processing date weight and what kind of  meat it is to avoid damaging the packages during   shipping special lifts move the boxes to a cold  Warehouse instead of being carried by workers the USA is number two in the world for cow milk  right behind India jerseys and holins are the   most common dairy breeds here because they can  give up to 15 Gallons a day 2-year-old dairy cows   will start making milk after they give birth to  a calf they only have to spend about 10 minutes   on this milking machine three times a day on  some Farms like this one in Washington each C   gives 10 gallons daily freshly harvested milk is  pumped into a large chilling tank to cool down so   bacteria don't multiply rapidly before the milk  leaves the farm and again at the factory it gets   some special tests for temperature bacteria  and antibiotics once approved it will first   be separated in a centrifuge to produce  a variety of choices such as whole milk   semis skimmed or skimmed milk homogenization is  the next step where fat particles are broken down   so they won't Clump together as cream like on  top of raw milk then comes pasturization which   involves Heating and rapidly cooling the milk  to kill all harmful bacteria all milk containers   are also sterilized to protect the milk from  contamination light and oxygen [Music] while   female dairy cows are raised for 8 to 14 years  for milk male Dairy Cales are like byproducts   in the US they are separated from their mothers  shortly after birth and put in small cages called   the crates this is done to keep the Cal's muscles  weak resulting in more tender meat loved by many   after a few months they will be sold to slaughter  house yum this is a cruel way to farm cows so nine   states have banned it then what about the fate  of old female dairy cows they will be sent to a   stress-free retirement Farm to be fed on pastures  for at least a year which allows them to recover   muscle and body fat retired dairy cows graze on  grass two to three times more throughout their   lifetime so their meat has a rich distinct beef  flavor perfect for dry aging this process involves   storing the meat in a controlled environment for  28 days or more during this time enzymes naturally   break down the meat making it more tender and  flavorful the second product you can get from   dairy cows is ground beef first boneless clean  beef cuts will be pre grinded in a coarse grinder   to make thick minced beefs strands then different  types of meat will be mixed and reground multiple   times next they will go into a machine to be  formed into the desired shape and finally packaged   for [Music] sale marked by their distinct flavors  lamb and goat meat is a relatively minor product   in most us food stores Texas and California raise  most of these animals the main method of farming   goats and sheep here is rotational grazing because  it can keep the land healthy and provide them with   enough nutrients Spanish goat and rambula sheep  are the two most common breeds in the US once the   Sheep reach around 115 lb and the goats reach  around 70 lb they are taken to the processing   plant unlike pigs or cattle sheep and goats  follow each other easily on a non-slip floor   to the resting area if they're chewing like this  you know they are definitely relaxed electrical   stunning is the most common method used to stop  their heart and brain so they don't feel pain when   being slaughtered right after that at least once  a week a stunner audit will come to make sure this   stunning system works well following stunning  the carcass is prepared for Pelt removal and   evisceration procedure with special techniques  to make sure the meat is contamination free then   they will be washed with attic Acid found in  vinegar for food safety reasons sophisticated   cameras will grade the carcass so the staff  will know where to sort it in the chiller   after chilling the carcasses are cut into Primal  cuts which are then further processed into small   smaller portions finally the packaged meat is  then boxed and shipped to grocery stores and restaurants hello my friends today we are going  to bison farms in the United States to see how   the process of raising tens of thousands  of Bison happens currently about 359,000 B   are raised as Livestock on farms in  South Dakota Nebraska Colorado and Oklahoma in addition in the United States  there are about 31,000 wild bison being   preserved in national parks in particular  Yellowstone National Park is the most   famous place when it comes to this animal and  here there are about 5,300 wild bison [Music] living after about 283 days from mating  the female bison at this Farm have begun   to breed the reproductive process of these  female bison usually lasts only 1 hour each year in the United States about 113,000 bison   cars are born and about 2% of them will  die in the process of birthing calves   here when they're born average out about  55 lb about 30% heavier than wild bison calves on these Farms carves will live with  their mothers for 7 months before weaning   according to statistics in 2021 in the United  States there are 513 bison Farms distributed   across the country with different sizes in  particular South Dakota is the state with the   largest number of farms with 104 and accounts  for 24% of the number of Bison raised in the   country in addition to South Dakota Nebraska  is also the state with with many bison farms   and is ranked second in the list of states with  the most bison farming with about 23,000 in the   next positions are Montana with 11,000 followed  by Colorado with 10,000 and Oklahoma also with 10,000 every day herders will her  bison into the grasslands so that   they can freely feed the cars will  also be eating with their mothers   and they are all protected by the  hedges that surround the pasture [Music] area female bison are considered  fully mature when they reach 2 and a half   to 3 years of age meanwhile Bulls  are only considered mature and are   mated by ranchers when they reach four  to 5 years [Music] old currently up to   85% of bison in the United States are raised  free range about 15% are kept on small scale Farms this is an Oklahoma Ranch that  is home to 167 adult bison and 53 cares   currently there are 57 bison farms in  Oklahoma concentrated mainly in the   area bordering the state of Missouri about  1,300 bison are slaughtered in Oklahoma each year in addition to being free to graze  Farm rais bison are also supplemented   with other foods such as corn and  Grain in pellet form a full-grown   bison has an average weight of 1,800 lb and  females average a weight of 960 lb every   day each bison here needs to eat an  amount equivalent to 3% of their body weight when the pastures around the farm are in  the process of being restored the workers here   will use dry straw to feed the Bison herd this is  a bison farm with 75 cows in Colorado according to   the information that this Ranch owner shared each  year the Bison here eat 127,000 lb of dry straw   equivalent to about 2,300 Bales during the breeding season the  Bulls will fight fiercely with each   other for the right to meet with the  female bison in the herd The Mating   Season of the Bison usually begins  in June and lasts until the end of [Music] September a male bison  can meet with many female bison   however female bison choose only one  male bison to mate with during their lifetime this is a herd of bison with  about 55 heads in Montana in the late   afternoon they will be herded into the  Captivity area by breeders to avoid   attacks by Wolves At Night according  to statistics in 2021 there are 62   bison farms in Montana and about 1,400  bison are slaughtered each year in this state about every 6 months the Bison raised  on the farms will be medically examined and vaccinated these herders are hting the Bison into   a metal cage before the health  and weight checks take place [Music] just imagine how many people we would  need to hold a bison without this cage [Music] here's what's going on at a cattle market in  Missouri hundreds of Bison were transported   here for auction before they were slaughtered  these bison will be kept in different cages   and waiting for their turn to be auctioned  each Barn will hold between five and eight bison here's what goes on inside the auction area currently the price for a 2-year-old  bison is between $3,500 and $77,000   this price depends on many factors such  as their appearance origin and level of   pure bread approximately 20,300 bison are  slaughtered in the United States each year   and the livestock industry generates  an estimated $384 million in Revenue

Channel: Tony 98 - Discovery

Views: 146,450

Keywords: farming, agriculture, harvesting, processing factory, food processing, cattle, cattle rancher, documentary, farming documentary, farmers, farm life, #tony98discovery

Id: Tfo6RaZlSWc

Length: 17min 31sec (1051 seconds)

Published: Sun May 26 2024