In the last two centuries the beef industry has undergone many changes. From the coming of refrigerated train cars to Government regulations. As the population of the earth has grown, cattlemen have had to change their operations in order to feed the world. But as we try to feed more cattle in a smaller area, sickness spreads like wildfire if not treated with antibiotics.
Cattle were first brought to the America’s in 1493 on Columbus’s second voyage. (Bravodelux, 2013)Spanish and Portuguese trading ships continued to bring cattle to Southern North America. Many of these cattle ended up on Spanish ranches in Mexico and Texas, where they were butchered for their hides and tallow but rarely for their meat.
In the year 1611 the British started …show more content…
The famous King ranch in Texas, was built by Captain Richard King. King started out in business as part owner of a steamboat company that shipped goods on the Rio Grande. However he wanted to expand. While on a trip, he stopped at the Santa Gertrudis Creek to take a drink and looking around liked what he saw. He talked to his friend, a Texas Ranger named Gideon Lewis. They discussed a partnership in which King would supply the funds and Lewis would supply protection from Indians and cattle rustlers. In July 1853 King bought 15,500 acres for $300 and later bought 53,000 acres of adjoining property for $1,800. King was one of the first ranchers to cross the hardy but lean longhorn with the heavy shorthorns imported from the East. The King ranch continued to grow and is still in operation today.(Time-Life Books & Tanner, 1977, p. …show more content…
However as the ice melted water dripped down onto the meat, spoiling it. A packing plant owner named Gustavus Swift began working with an engineer named Andrew Chase to fix this problem. They designed a car with ice boxes both in the front and back of the car. The airflow from ice boxes to the past the meat, caused by the movement of the car kept the meat cold.
But the method of moving the cattle from the ranch to the eastern packing plants was inefficient at best. The cattle were rounded up and driven on horseback from Texas, hundreds of miles north to the the railhead in Kansas. From there the cattle were loaded onto train cars that didn’t have feed or water, the train would have to stop at intervals and let the cattle out into a pen where they were fed and watered. This method caused the cattle to shrink considerably. The Burton Stock Car Company came out with a car that held 16 head and had feed and water, this cut down on shrinkage by up to ⅔. However shipping live cattle across the country was still inefficient as roughly 60% of the animal is bone, hide and guts, the remaining 40% is edible meat.(Time-Life Books & Tanner, 1977, p.
Cattle were first brought to the America’s in 1493 on Columbus’s second voyage. (Bravodelux, 2013)Spanish and Portuguese trading ships continued to bring cattle to Southern North America. Many of these cattle ended up on Spanish ranches in Mexico and Texas, where they were butchered for their hides and tallow but rarely for their meat.
In the year 1611 the British started …show more content…
The famous King ranch in Texas, was built by Captain Richard King. King started out in business as part owner of a steamboat company that shipped goods on the Rio Grande. However he wanted to expand. While on a trip, he stopped at the Santa Gertrudis Creek to take a drink and looking around liked what he saw. He talked to his friend, a Texas Ranger named Gideon Lewis. They discussed a partnership in which King would supply the funds and Lewis would supply protection from Indians and cattle rustlers. In July 1853 King bought 15,500 acres for $300 and later bought 53,000 acres of adjoining property for $1,800. King was one of the first ranchers to cross the hardy but lean longhorn with the heavy shorthorns imported from the East. The King ranch continued to grow and is still in operation today.(Time-Life Books & Tanner, 1977, p. …show more content…
However as the ice melted water dripped down onto the meat, spoiling it. A packing plant owner named Gustavus Swift began working with an engineer named Andrew Chase to fix this problem. They designed a car with ice boxes both in the front and back of the car. The airflow from ice boxes to the past the meat, caused by the movement of the car kept the meat cold.
But the method of moving the cattle from the ranch to the eastern packing plants was inefficient at best. The cattle were rounded up and driven on horseback from Texas, hundreds of miles north to the the railhead in Kansas. From there the cattle were loaded onto train cars that didn’t have feed or water, the train would have to stop at intervals and let the cattle out into a pen where they were fed and watered. This method caused the cattle to shrink considerably. The Burton Stock Car Company came out with a car that held 16 head and had feed and water, this cut down on shrinkage by up to ⅔. However shipping live cattle across the country was still inefficient as roughly 60% of the animal is bone, hide and guts, the remaining 40% is edible meat.(Time-Life Books & Tanner, 1977, p.