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Eight Big Island cattle ranches are under a quarantine, following an outbreak of a bovine venereal disease.
The rancher in whose herd the first infection was identified last year said he would like to see Hawaii follow the examples of several mainland states, which require routine testing of all bulls for the disease, Tricomoniasis. Ka‘u rancher Kyle Soares, who discovered the first cases of the disease in his herd in 2010, said he asked the Department of Agriculture to implement such a requirement.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections...sland.html
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The cattle industry on the BI is all messed up. It's another farm product where the original economics aren't working. It's kept real quiet, but the BI is the largest exporter of cattle to the mainland, 40,000 per year. They are exported to the mainland for "finishing, the final fattening up, because it is cheaper to put the cattle in containers and ship them to the mainland than it is to ship the grain and feed in for the fattening. There was a crash of one of these cattle containers on I5 in Washington state recently (bunch of cows got killed) and the only that picked up that story was damontucker, it didn't get reported in Washington state at all. In light of the historical background, it is understandable but it seems so bizarre this island raises and ships off all these cows, then turns around and imports 95% of the beef sold on this island. And people wonder why the cost of living is high. This drought and disease is going to cause that industry some big trouble.
quote:
http://washingtonexaminer.com/drought-cr...ed/2035977
Hawaii's beef market is backward. Nearly all the beef eaten here — 95 percent — arrives packaged on container ships from the U.S. mainland. At the same time, Hawaii cattle ranchers ship 40,000 live cattle each year to California, Kansas and other states, while just 4,000 are slaughtered for meat sales in Hawaii.
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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Shipping cows to the mainland while importing food ... was probably a great deal when gas was $1/gallon.
Same with warehousing Chinese goods on the mainland instead of shipping them directly.
I dare say the island economy needs either way more controls, or none at all.
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quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
I dare say the island economy needs either way more controls, or none at all.
Not sure that would be much effect on much larger problems. If the BI is shipping 40,000 cattle a year to the mainland, that is employing a lot of people on the north end. The problem is not enough nutrition with just island grass to make the meat marketable, requiring them to be shipped for finishing anyway. Maybe this new feed system will work. Plus, even if there were the slaughter houses to handle them, that is way more cattle than the island could consume. Just like with sugar cane and pineapple, the cost to transport produce off the island is not competitive with other places closer to bigger markets. For now, island beef is in strong demand on the mainland, so the owners continue to see profits running a cattle business this way, that is, unless there is an extended drought. Moving more to chicken, pork, fish and seafood kind of leaves the beef business worries to the owners.
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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hmm, 160,000 people / 40,000 cattle = 4 people / cow. I think that 4 people could consume 1 cow in a year.
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Don't forget the vegans, vegetarians, and hindus!
Cheers
rainyjim
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Cattle can be successfully finished here on Big Island. It is already being done! The Galimbas are doing it and selling their beef here in Hawaii. Local grass fed beef.
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quote:
Originally posted by bluesboy
hmm, 160,000 people / 40,000 cattle = 4 people / cow. I think that 4 people could consume 1 cow in a year.
Shipping 40000 that doesn't include what is sold locally. Still I would think shipping cost would be outrageous.
I like it here in the shallow end of the gene pool
I like it here in the shallow end of the gene pool
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Talked with someone today who said the quality of the weaned calves from here was better than the mainland and one of the reasons for the demand. His was shipping out a bunch of his.
"Government is good at one thing: it knows how to break your legs, hand you a crutch, and say, 'See, if it weren’t for the government, you wouldn’t be able to walk." - Harry Browne
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Where I grew up folk tended to buy an entire cow for personal use and take it to the butcher when it was ready. They would then have a whole cows worth of meat in the deep freeze all year round to live off of and gift to friends/family.
Does that sort of thing happen around here? I'd hate to have me beef raised here, shipped to the mainland for fattening, slaughtered on the mainland, and then shipped back here for consumption!
Cheers
rainyjim
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