Did you know that every May we celebrate National Beef Month? Well, around here, we celebrate beef more often than that, but I support anything that brings more positive attention to the beef industry! I’ve started National Beef Month by sharing information on my Instagram, but I also wanted to drop a few lines on the blog. So I present to you:

Five Fun Facts about the Beef Industry

1. It takes 18 months to 3 years to bring beef from the pasture to your plate!

Beef production is not a one person job, it requires a community. Cattle will change caretakers an average of 2-3 times during their lifetime, enabling each person in the process to specialize in their aspect of the beef lifecycle.

2. Thirty five percent of American farms classify themselves as beef cattle operations.

That means the beef community represents the largest single segment of American agriculture. Even so, most beef cattle operations are involved in other aspects of the agriculture industry as well.

3. The average beef cattle herd is only 50 head of cattle.

Most beef cattle farms are not huge, multi-million dollar operations. While those do exist, so do many, many small farms. Bonus fact: just because an operation is large, doesn’t make it a “factory farm.” In actuality, 97% of beef farms and ranches are family owned, with over half of those (54%) being in the same family for 3 or more generations.

4. Our farmers and ranchers in the United States are so awesome, they produce 20% of the world’s beef with only 7% of the world’s cattle.

This is possible thanks to years of research and improvements in breeding, selection, and nutrition, along with the effective use of natural resources.

5. Beef is ridiculously nutritious for you.

All beef (both grass- and grain-finished) is a high quality protein packed with nutrients. In fact, just one 3 ounce serving of beef will provide you with 10 essential nutrients for less than 10% of your daily calories.

Special thank you to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board for the statistics. They are funded by the Beef Checkoff program that was created as a part of the 1985 Farm Bill. All U.S. farmers and ranchers pay $1 per head every time a beef animal is sold, that that money is invested into promotion, research, marketing, and consumer information and communication on behalf of the producer. Check them out: Cattlemen’s Beef Board.