As much as I can guarantee that we Americans love our hamburgers, I can say with equal certainty that Germans relish their cucumbers. So it was with some fascination I watched that country – one at the forefront of the organic food revolution – abandon one of its culinary staples during this spring’s deadly outbreak of E. coli.

Consumers choose USDA grass-fed beef for the following four main reasons: taste, health concerns, ecological awareness and local fare.

Cattle producers are a proud bunch with a history woven into the fabric of the U.S. They’ve battled weather, markets, feed shortages, pests and disease, generally coming out on top.

Headquartered north of Sheridan, Wyoming, at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains, the Padlock Ranch has been in the business of raising cattle for nearly 70 years.

Due to the reduced (and further shrinking) U.S. beef cow inventory, prices for cull cows (also referred to in a more consumer-friendly manner as “market” cows) have been extraordinary over the past few years. It’s remarkable to see utility slaughter cows selling today for $70 per hundredweight (cwt). Over the past two years, they have consistently sold for around $60 per cwt.

A part of our responsibility as food producers is ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of our product – beef.

Hay is one of the most common and expensive winter feedstuffs to produce in most regions of the country.

Back in April when I wrote my last article, feed costs were at all-time record highs and – thankfully – live cattle were fetching unprecedented prices. Since that time, we have seen a slight increase in feed prices while cash cattle have fallen steadily.