- Fed Cattle 59.19 %
- Cull/Cutter/Canner Cattle 30.72 %
- Dairy Cattle 10.09 %
of the annual total of cattle slaughtered or processed. Furthermore, the results showed the companies that operated more than one plant would slaughter or process the same percentages of each of the categories of cattle for each individual plant.
Findings Related to Research Question Five
The intent of this research question was to determine or identify what form of documentation, verification and auditing the meat packers and processors will require from feedlots, stockers/backgrounders and other suppliers.
- For documentation purposes, the results indicated companies would require: • affidavid and company issued ID’s
• health and feed records
• certified papers that are deemed acceptable by government mandates • still in the process of developing
• whatever is required
- For verification purposes, the results (responses) of the survey indicated: • company records
• health and feed records
• certified papers that are deemed acceptable by government mandates • still in the process of developing
• whatever is required
- For auditing purposes, the resulting responses of the survey indicated: • company records
• certified papers that are deemed acceptable by government mandates • still in the process of developing
• whatever is required. Findings Related to Research Question Six
This research question was designed to determine what percent of the company’s record keeping time was going to be spent on COOL and what the added total annual cost would be to implement this record keeping system as a result of complying with country-of-origin labeling regulations. The results of this question are recorded in Table 4-5. The respondents indicated that 15.31 percent of a company’s time schedule will be spent on record keeping for compliance with COOL regulations. Furthermore, the average total annual costs added to a company’s record keeping operational plan are $59,008 dollars.
Findings Related to Research Question Seven
This research question was designed to identify the various marketing channels or venues where the beef products would be sold or distributed. In other words, the intent was to estimate the percentages of the total annual production of beef products that were marketed to HRI, retail grocery outlets and other markets. The results of this research question are reported in Table 4-6. The results of this question show that, on average, 34.73 percent of the total production is marketed to HRI, 48.11 percent of the total production is marketed to retail grocery outlets, and 17.16 percent of the total production is marketed to other various markets.
Table 4-5. Weighted Average Percentages and Added Costs Associated with Record Keeping Time Spent on Country-of-Origin Labeling for Meat Packers and Processors _____________________________________________________________________________ Percent of Record Keeping Time Spent on Country-of-Origin Labeling 15.31 %
Added Total Annual Cost for Record Keeping as a Result of
Country-of-Origin Labeling $59,007.80
Table 4-6. Weighted Average Percentages of Total Annual Production That Is Marketed to Hotel Restaurant Institutes, Retail Grocery Outlets or Other Markets
_____________________________________________________________________________ Market Distribution Channels Weighted average percent of total annual production
- Hotel Restaurant Institutes 34.73 %
- Retail Grocery Outlets 48.11 %
- Other Markets 17.16 %
Findings Related to Research Question Eight
The intent of this research question was to determine if the meat packers or processors plan to designate specific company plants, production runs or production lines to process or handle foreign beef products where COOL requirements do not apply. The results of this research question are reported in Table 4-7. Three of the responding meat packers or processors indicated they would designate specific plants, production runs, or production lines in order to segregate products for the various markets when processing or handling domestic and foreign beef products. Five of the meat packers or processors would not designate specific plants, production runs, or production lines to process or handle domestic and foreign beef products. The results show that, on average, the total annual added costs for the meat packer or processor to designate specific fabrication or processing practices for the various market channels is $52,222 dollars
Findings Related to Research Question Nine
This research question was to determine what percent of the company’s current total line of beef products handled and sold are case-ready products and whether or not this percentage will change when country-of-origin labeling regulations are
implemented. The results of this question are reported in Table 4-8. The survey results indicate that 8.804 percent of the responding meat packers and processors current total line of beef products handled and sold are case-ready products. Of the eight meat packers and processors who responded to the questionnaire survey, three indicated an increase in the percentage of case-ready products, two indicated a decrease in the case-
Table 4-7. Weighted Average Total Annual Cost Estimate for Designating Specific Plants, Production Runs, or Production Lines for Various Market Distributions
_____________________________________________________________________________
Weighted Average Cost of Designating Specific Plants, $52, 221.64 Production Runs or Production Lines for Various Markets
Table 4-8. Case-ready Productivity Distribution and Percentage Changes for Meat Packers and Processors
_____________________________________________________________________________
Weighted Average Percent of current total line of beef products 8.80 % handled that are case-ready products.
Expected weighted average percent change in case-ready products Increase of 3.5 % handled when Country-of-Origin Labeling regulations are
implemented. (Increase and/or decrease)
ready products, and three indicated no change in the percentage of case-ready products as a result of COOL. Overall the results show an increase of 3.4 percent in case-ready products as a result of implementing COOL. As a result, 12.2 percent of the meat packers and processors current total line of beef products handled and sold will be case-ready products.
Survey Results for Cattle Feedlots
Findings Related to Research Question One
This research question was designed to examine the product distribution of an individual company by determining whether the feedlot would handle foreign cattle, domestic cattle, or a combination of both as a result of COOL. The results of this question show that three of the feedlots responding to the questionnaire would handle cattle other than cattle born and raised in the United States and six of the cattle feedlots would not handle cattle other than cattle born and raised in the United States.
Findings Related to Research Question Two
This question was designed to determine if the participating company was going to designate certain company feedlots to handle only foreign cattle, only domestic cattle, or if all feedlots would handle a combination of both. The results indicated all of the cattle feedlots who responded to the survey as handling foreign cattle, would handle foreign cattle in all of their company feedlots.
Findings Related to Research Question Three
The objective of this research question was to determine the additional
compliance of COOL regulations. In other words, this question was designed to determine what additional costs would result from new management, operational, and production practices that would be needed to comply with the new COOL regulations or requirements. Incremental and capital costs were further separated to contain various operational, production and management costs. The results of this question are reported in Table 4-9. Additional incremental and capital costs reported by the respondents were:
• labor costs amounted to $2.52 per head
• animal identification costs totaled $2.88 per head • management costs amounted to $1.67 per head • procurement costs totaled $0.76 per head
• audit and verification costs totaled $1.31 per head • Software and hardware costs totaled $0.92 per head • other incremental costs amounted to $1.22 per head
• costs for additional pen space and facilities for livestock segregation amounted to $0.00 per head
• costs for additional equipment totaled $1.67 per head • other capital costs amounted to $0.00 per head.
Given these results, the total weighted average costs (both incremental and capital) for cattle feeders is $12.95 per head of cattle fed. Given the fact that 27,567,000 head of fed cattle were marketed in 2003 in the United States, the results of the total cost of COOL to the cattle feeding industry is $356.9 million dollars.
Table 4-9.Weighted Average Incremental and Capital Cost Estimates for Cattle Feedlots
_____________________________________________________________________________ Category of Incremental Costs Weighted Average Costs Estimates (dollars per head of cattle fed annually)
Labor Costs $2.522 per head
Procurement/Purchasing Costs $0.759 per head
Animal Identification Costs $2.879 per head
Management Costs $1.668 per head
Audit and Verification Costs $1.310 per head
Software/Hardware Costs $0.921 per head
Other Costs (please define specific area
of costs with corresponding values) $1.222 per head
_____________________________________________________________________________ Total Incremental Costs $11.281 per head _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Category of Capital Costs Weighted Average Costs Estimates (dollars per head of cattle fed annually)
Additional Pen Spacing Costs $0.000 per head
Additional Equipment Costs $1.668 per head
Other Costs (please define specific area
of costs with corresponding values) $0.000 per head
_____________________________________________________________________________
Total Capital Costs $1.668 per head
_____________________________________________________________________________
Total Costs for Cattle Feedlots $12.949 per head
Survey Results for Cow-Calf Operators, Backgrounding Yards and Stockers
Findings Related to Research Question One
This research question was developed to determine whether or not the particular cow-calf operators, cattle backgrounders, or stockers would handle cattle other than cattle born in the United States. The results of this question show that all of the cow-calf operators, backgrounders and stockers who responded to the questionnaire survey would handle only domestic cattle and not cattle born outside the United States. About 1.1 million head of cattle are imported from Mexico. These are lightweight animals often said to go to ranchers or grass programs. These results suggest that producers will consider not buying Mexican stocker cattle. That may move more lightweight calves directly to feedlots.
Findings Related to Research Question Two
This research question was to identify which of the cow-calf operators, cattle stockers, or backgrounders would raise or background foreign cattle. Because none of the cattle producers, backgrounders or stockers who responded to the survey would handle foreign cattle, the need for segregation of livestock was unnecessary.
Findings Related to Research Question Three
The objective of this research question was designed to determine the additional incremental and capital costs that a company could incur as a result of COOL
regulations. In other words, this question was designed to determine what additional costs would result from new management, operational and production practices that would be needed to comply with the new COOL regulations or requirements.
Incremental and capital costs were further separated to contain various operational, production and management costs. The results of this question are reported in Table 4-10. Additional incremental and capital costs reported by the respondents were:
• labor costs amounted to $0.73 per head
• animal identification costs were $2.00 per head • management costs amounted to $0.21 per head • procurement costs totaled $0.00 per head
• audit and verification costs totaled $0.29 per head
• Software and hardware costs amounted to $0.40 per head • other incremental costs amounted to $0.00 per head
• costs for additional pen space amounted to $0.00 per head • costs for additional equipment totaled $0.27 per head • other capital costs amounted to $0.00 per head
Given these results, the total weighted average costs (both incremental and capital) for cattle backgrounders and stockers is $3.90 per head of cattle produced and fed. Given the fact that 24,930,000 head of cattle or calves were placed in feedlots in 2003 in the United States, the results of the total cost of COOL to the cattle producer and
Table 4-10. Weighted Average Incremental and Capital Cost Estimates for Cow-Calf Operators, Cattle BackGrounding Yards and Stockers
_____________________________________________________________________________ Category of Incremental Costs Weighted Average Costs Estimates (dollars per head of cattle fed annually)
Labor Costs $0.729 per head
Procurement/Purchasing Costs $0.000 per head
Animal Identification Costs $2.000 per head
Management Costs $0.208 per head
Audit and Verification Costs $0.292 per head
Software/Hardware Costs $0.396 per head
Other Costs (please define specific area
of costs with corresponding values) $0.000 per head
_____________________________________________________________________________
Total Incremental Costs $3.625 per head
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Category of Capital Costs Weighted Average Costs Estimates (dollars per head of cattle fed annually)
Additional Pen Spacing Costs $0.000 per head
Additional Equipment Costs $0.271 per head
Other Costs (please define specific area
of costs with corresponding values) $0.000 per head
_____________________________________________________________________________ Total Capital Costs $0.271 per head _______________________________________________________________________ Total Costs for Cow-calf Operators, Cattle Backgrounders/Stockers $3.896 per head _____________________________________________________________________________
Survey Results for the Beef Industry
Findings Related to the Incremental and Capital Costs for each Surveyed Sector
The results for this question are reported in Table 4-11. Using 2003 estimates for the total pounds of retail beef consumed, the total number of head of cattle slaughtered, the total number of head of fed cattle marketed, and the total number of head of calves placed in feedlots in the United States, the results of the incremental and capital cost estimates at each marketing level show the implementation of COOL will cost the retail industry $818.3 million dollars, the meat packing and processing industry $603 million dollars, the cattle feeding industry $356.9 million dollars, and the cattle producer, backgrounding and stocking industry $97.1 million dollars. Therefore, the total annual cost to the beef industry is $1.875 billion dollars.
Short-run Price and Demand Changes as a Result of COOL Costs
Initially, short-run impacts in supply and demand, resulting from of the
estimated COOL cost changes, are calculated using equations (11) to (26) assuming the original quantity for each marketing level is held constant. The purpose for holding the original quantity constant is to determine the magnitude or how much demand must increase at each marketing level in order to negate the increase in costs imposed by COOL in order to produce the same quantity that is being produced currently in the industry. Short-run percentage changes in supply, demand and prices are presented in Table 4-12. This research further diversifies production of the markets by determining whether or not there is a significant difference in the percentage change in the demand and price for heavy choice and heavy select carcasses, respectively. Beef prices
Table 4-11. Weighted Average Total Cost Estimates for the Beef Industry
_____________________________________________________________________________