Anybody seen my widget?
October 29, 2010
“We’re not making widgets here!” How many times have we heard that statement when the discussion is about raising beef? I’ve always been curious about widgets. I know what the statement implies, but really, what IS a widget? After referencing a couple of dictionaries, my conclusion is a widget really isn’t much of anything. Widget, a noun, is vaguely defined by a single sentence. So, I suppose it stands to reason we apply the term widget to wherever we think it fits.
Widget is most often applied when we talk about some kind of unified system of production. Most often, it is negatively applied when we talk about the beef business and factory farming. My entire life has somehow been connected to agriculture, yet I’ve never seen a factory farm. I’ve seen factories, but I’ve yet to see the first factory farm. Our customers are large seedstock producers and commercial cow-calf producers, but not even remotely close to a factory. I’ve been to feed yards, large and small, and still not seen a factory farm.
For the sake of debate, I think widgets are a good thing. Since I, too, am a consumer, the closer the beef industry becomes to a manufacturing, widget making model, the better off I believe we will all be. Realizing there are many who will vehemently disagree, the fact remains only a few, in socio-economic strata above me, can afford beef produced on a small scale. Oh, I know it sounds good and there are those who want to feel better about producing an artisanal or niche product. However, condemning all other processes and refusing to acknowledge niches as life-style choices eliminate huge segments of our consumer markets.
As an avid cook, I love to have plenty of beef in the freezer. And I’m not talking about ground beef. Currently, I have a top sirloin (13 pounds), sirloin tri-tips and shoulder petite filets just waiting for me to be moved by the spirit to cook. Every beef purchase was made at the local Sam’s Club. The beef is USDA Choice, some branded and some Sam’s Club proprietary brand simply cryovac sealed. The top sirloin was $3.89 per pound or an approximate $50.00 purchase. The sirloin tri-tip was approximately $4.00 per pound and the shoulder petite filets rang up at $15.50 for approximately 4 pounds of already marinated, ready to cook lean beef.
A quick search of a couple of popular beef Internet sites tells me if specialized, niche or artisanal product selection was my only option, I would be forced to reduce my consumption of beef by at least 60%. My reduction in consumption would be driven by one and only one factor—affordability. Even worse, I could not afford to serve beef to my city friends. They know when they get a dinner invitation; it’s going to be beef they won’t get anywhere else!
Let me be perfectly clear. I am one of Certified Angus Beef’s® biggest supporters. National Beef’s Naturewell® and Black Canyon® brands are splendid products. These brands and others have quality specifications that give consumers like me affordable options at the meat case. The companies behind the brands have collectively invested billions of dollars to develop a factory or widget model that demands efficiency and consistency without compromising quality.
These days there seems to be a movement to “pile on” the packer. Some would have us believe everything that’s wrong in the beef industry is the packer’s fault. I, however, am convinced without a financially stable, vibrant packer sector, millions of consumers like me can no longer afford to serve beef as often as we would otherwise. For what it’s worth, I hope all those widget-making packers continue to perfect their factory models and make the best damn widgets my money can buy! If they are successful, I will happily continue to fill my shopping cart with beef. My city friends will be happy, too!
