The Value of Independent Cattle Producers to the Community
The livestock industry and market in Kansas have been a primary source of income for independent cattle farmers over the years. With Kansas’ vibrant livestock industry, the state has managed to sustain the viability of communities within the state through the provision of economic stability. One of the primary objectives of the livestock industry in Kansas and the U.S is to see a significant growth of the economy. Research shows that Kansas is one of the major states in the United States (U.S) where cattle are raised, and they have played a crucial role in driving the economy of local counties and rural communities combined. Cattle farming in Kansas has created direct and indirect employment opportunities related to the production and processing of beef products. One of the challenges faced by the sector in Kansas is that independent cattle producers face stiff competition from large organizations dealing with cattle rearing and production as well as the importation of cattle products from foreign markets. As such, the profitability of independent cattle producers has been negatively impacted by the competition prompting the decrease in the number of independent cattle producers. The latter has, in turn, impacted the beef industry in Kansas because a significant reduction in beef production has been reported in Kansas in recent years, which underscore the value of independent cattle producers to the local community.
One of the values of independent cattle producers to the local community is that they create marketplace competition. The decrease in the number of independent cattle producers in recent years has seen Kansas source cattle from other states and foreign countries. With foreign cattle crowding the market in Kansas, consumers have limited buying preferences, a situation that would not be witnessed with the existence of more independent cattle producers. The value of independent cattle producers is also highlighted by the fact that they provide local community consumers with marketplace choices. As already mentioned, KS imports cattle and beef products from other states and foreign countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico. However, with independent cattle producers also in place, consumers have a variety of options when it comes to purchasing cattle or beef products.
The existence of independent cattle producers is of value to the local community as it empowers the local consumers to be patriotic to their locally produced products rather than depend on imported products. It should be noted that a significant percentage of beef in Kansas market is imported beef, which means that when local consumers buy the imported beef, their dollars support foreign rather than locally produced beef. Moreover, independent cattle producers are of value to the local community as they often help confine market impacts of a disease outbreak. With Kansas importing cattle and beef products from other states and foreign countries such as Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, if disease outbreaks such as mad cow disease of BSE were reported in the foreign countries, the local community would stop the consumption of beef products. However, with independent cattle producers in place, the local consumers or community would have no fear of disease outbreak. In such situations, the local customers would confidently continue with the consumption of beef products produced locally by local independent cattle producers. In the same vein, the local community would be less dependent on cattle or beef products from other states or foreign countries.