Population growth in the United States.
Climate. Hot, dry conditions, the midwest, is ideal for producing cattle in feedlots and pastures. extreme wetness or extreme heat are not ideal for raising cattle, so areas like Oklahoma and northern texas are the best locations.
Land.
Transportation.
In 1803, we made the Louisiana purchase which allowed the nation to expand westward.
1820 - Ohio and Erie Canals allow for boats carrying cattle to move faster to their destinations.
In this day there was a lack of preservatives, which only allowed live cattle to be shipped.
primary transportation in the day was boats and train wagons.
Trains - 1830. Allowed for faster shipping of live cattle. in 1869 the trans continental railroad was completed. This pretty much destroyed the canal system as it was faster and cheaper.
6% death rate for live cattle in the carts, 9% for sheep.
In 1867 barbed wire replaced Osage Orange Brush as fencing. This allowed ranchers to raise cattle in a fenced area and also settled land territories. this caused major conflicts in the 80's for those who still drove cattle (cattle can't pass if a fence is in the way)
Refrigerated rail carts allowed for more product (meat) to be shipped to the buyers which helped boost efficiency and allowed for profit on cattle
Union Stockyards (1865-1970) - largest packer in the nation, located in Chicago, all cattle were shipped here then the product was shipped by railways to the distributors.
"the jungle" is based off Upton Sinclair's visit to the plant. it describes the terrible working conditions faced and revolutionized workers rights.
Union stockyards was killed by shipping costs. Now the packers are located closer to the cattle in the midwest, so the cost of shipping live cattle was drastically cut.
and eventually Trucks replaced railways, because shipping is faster.
Some issues affecting the beef industry today : Government, drought, Issue 2, HSUS, Gas Prices, and Food Safety.
Packers moved to the midwest (closer to the cattle)
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