Where's the beef? - It's everywhere

Did you know that beef cattle produce much more thanjust meat or the hide for a few leather coats?

A 1200-pound market steer will yield approximately 650 pounds of meat, so nearly all of the remaining weight of the slaughtered beef animal is recovered for use in by-products. Beef by-products are something made from beef cattle besides meat.

Beef by-products are used in your vehicle, medications, crafting supplies, makeup and your favorite candy.

As we all know, beef cattle produce hamburger, steaks, roasts and ribs; but did you know that it takes 26 beef pancreases to produce enough insulin to keep a diabetic person alive for one year? Or that oil and lubricants, lipstick, face creams and some ingredients for explosives are produced from the inedible fats of beef cattle?

Fatty acids produced by beef cattle are used in the creation of pesticides, flotation agents and biodegradable detergents. One of these fatty acids help you make the best use of your vehicle tires, as it makes the tires run cooler.

The hard parts of the cattle, such as horns, hooves and bones, also supply many important by-products. Toothbrushes, buttons, glues, fertilizer, paper, wallpaper, sandpaper, violin strings and piano keys come from the osseous matter of beef cattle.

Yes, leather is a commonly known beef cattle hide by-product, but did you know the insulation material in your home is also partially created from the hide? Beef hide by-products are often called other names, such as “camel hair” paint brushes which are made from the fine hair found in the ears and tails of beef cattle. Ever tossed a “pigskin” around? Footballs are made from beef hide not pig skin. It takes nearly 3000 beef cattle hides to produce enough footballs for one year for the National Football League. Footballs are not the only balls created from beef cattle hides. One cow hide can produce 12 basketballs, or 18 soccer balls or volleyballs, or 144 baseballs or 12 baseball gloves.

Beef cattle by-products are used in the production of over 100 drugs, including settling an upset stomach, prevention of blood clots, helping babies digest milk, making childbirth easier and safer and relieving symptoms of asthma. Surgical sutures are also derived from the intestines of beef cattle.

Edible beef by-products include oleo oil or margarine, oleo stearin that is used in making chewing gum and candy. Marshmallows, canned meats and ice cream are created by using the gelatin from beef cattle skin and bones. Sausage casing are produced from beef cattle intestines.

Beef is not only for dinner … it keeps your clothes and face clean, the shelves stocked at the drug store, allows you to be a painter or photographer, keeps the insects down in your garden and helps make the “ooohs” and “aawwws” during the Fourth of July firework display.

“Where’s the beef?” It is nearly everywhere, and you use beef cattle by-products on a daily basis in almost everything you do. Beef cattle production is important to every facet of life.