schlimm greyhounds And here's the cattle slaughtered by state in 2015. As you may see, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas account for 61% of the US beef production. They kill 'em where they raise 'em now and avoid long haul live transport as much as they can. State Head Percent of US Nebraska 6,552,171 23% Kansas 5,678,665 20% Texas 5,042,407 18% Colorado 2,345,810 8% California 1,181,631 4% Wisconsin 1,116,336 4% Washington 1,007,851 4% Pennsylvania 941,523 3% Arizona 542,458 2% Utah 537,130 2% The Union Pacific has several large cattle processing plants located along its main line between Omaha and North Platte. And on line at Dakota City, NE. And at Ft. Morgan and Greeley, CO. The railroad makes no effort to develop the beef business. It almost entirely moves by truck. This irritates me. Agreed. Not sure what the reason is, but Nebraska slaughtered more cattle than their inventories, while TX slaughtered far less than theirs.
greyhounds And here's the cattle slaughtered by state in 2015. As you may see, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas account for 61% of the US beef production. They kill 'em where they raise 'em now and avoid long haul live transport as much as they can. State Head Percent of US Nebraska 6,552,171 23% Kansas 5,678,665 20% Texas 5,042,407 18% Colorado 2,345,810 8% California 1,181,631 4% Wisconsin 1,116,336 4% Washington 1,007,851 4% Pennsylvania 941,523 3% Arizona 542,458 2% Utah 537,130 2% The Union Pacific has several large cattle processing plants located along its main line between Omaha and North Platte. And on line at Dakota City, NE. And at Ft. Morgan and Greeley, CO. The railroad makes no effort to develop the beef business. It almost entirely moves by truck. This irritates me.
And here's the cattle slaughtered by state in 2015. As you may see, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas account for 61% of the US beef production. They kill 'em where they raise 'em now and avoid long haul live transport as much as they can.
State Head Percent of US
The Union Pacific has several large cattle processing plants located along its main line between Omaha and North Platte. And on line at Dakota City, NE. And at Ft. Morgan and Greeley, CO. The railroad makes no effort to develop the beef business. It almost entirely moves by truck.
This irritates me.
Agreed. Not sure what the reason is, but Nebraska slaughtered more cattle than their inventories, while TX slaughtered far less than theirs.
Yes, the numbers tell a story, but there is always more to the story.
Look at the cattle populations of Iowa and South Dakota. They're in the top 10 states for cattle population. Then do some more digging and realize that there are no major cattle slaughter facilities in either Iowa or South Dakota. But those states do border the number one beef slaughter state, Nebraska. It's a short truck haul to a beef plant in Nebraska.
For example, Tyson has a huge beef facility in Dakota City, NE. It's located in the north east tip of Nebraska. Just a few miles from both Iowa and South Dakota. It's the miles that matter, not the state lines.
Same with Texas and Oklahoma. Those are big places. The large beef plants in Kansas are just over the state line. In fact, Liberal, KS is on the state line.
There's always more to the story.
And it still irritates me that the railroads don't haul a good bit of the killed beef. It moves in large volumes long distances to human population centers on the east and west coasts.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
To answer the OP's question.. they had to stop the trains occasionally to allow the critters to get on and off.
Very irritating to say the least. I think it shows a lack of initiative on Marketing's part or at the very least an unwillingness to look at some of the different options out there that they could capitalize on.
FWIW, I still think there's some opportunities with livestock by rail as well although even I'll admit those opportunities are limited.
Railroads were once also known for carrying poultry. Poultry, of course, requires much more attention than say, pigs or cows; and the poultry cars were crewed by some poor soul to clean the car, cull any dead birds, as well as feed and water them- all on his lonesome.
It's no wonder railroads gave it up once reliable highway transportation and refrigeration came into play. I think we can all agree that this was for the best.
Cattle Inventory 2015
US total 89,800,000
Rank
State
2015
% Of U.S.
1
Texas
11,800,000
13.14%
2
Nebraska
6,300,000
7.02%
3
Kansas
6,000,000
6.68%
4
California
5,150,000
5.73%
5
Oklahoma
4,600,000
5.12%
6
Missouri
4,000,000
4.45%
7
Iowa
3,900,000
4.34%
8
South Dakota
3,700,000
4.12%
9
Wisconsin
3,500,000
3.90%
10
Colorado
2,600,000
2.90%
Most of the beef processed by the big packers -Tyson, JBS, etc-is shipped out as large cuts in boxes to the local grocers and butchers, who do the final cuts-chops, filets, T-bones, etc.
When the stock cars went away, so did the meat reefers, which shipped beef as sides hooked to rails inside the cars. A lot of those reefers were still wood (on steel underframes) and lasted into the early 70s.
While shipping animals long distance by rail in the US has stopped. There is a large business in transporting sheep from Austrailia to the Middle East.
http://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/senate/committee/history/animalwelfare_ctte/export_live_sheep/03ch3.pdf
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
A steer or heifer ready for slaughter will drop 100 pounds or so during the first 24 hours of transport. Since the owner of said bovine has just spent a lot of time, effort and money putting weight on the critter, this is troublesome. Normal slaughter weight for live cattle is around 1,200 pounds, so a 100 pound loss is significant.
The solution is to greatly limit live transport and minimize the weight loss. A steer or heifer will normally get two truck rides in its life. One from the cow and calf operation (ranch) where it is bred and born to a feed lot. The second from the feed lot to the slaughterhouse.
Keeping both transport operations as short as possible is both humane and profitable. The large cattle plants supplying most of the US beef are mostly located in Nebraska, Kansas, and the Texas panhandle. (OK, they slaughter old dairy cows and cattle in other places. But the concentration is in NE, KS and TX.) That's where the cattle are bred, born, raised, fed to weight, and slaughtered.
The railroad opportunity is in moving the slaughtered meat, not the live cattle. (Or hogs, or sheep, whatever.)
ALL:
The changing meat processing market caused livestock to be processed near the place of slaughter. I remember one cattle move after the 1970 merger and that was it. Two cars of cattle came from Willmar to the CNW in Minneapolis, only to be told that the CNW accepted cattle at Sioux City or Omaha only, so the car was returned to Willmar. I worked an afternoon inbound clerking job at X-GN Minneapolis Junction. All the waybills were housed there. The BN learned a lot from the PC debacle---keep all waybills in a central location and messenger the bills and wheel reports to the trains
B&O hauled hogs into Highlandtown, MD into the mid 70's for SK Meat Packing.
The meat distribution industry changed and the railroads provided what the customer wanted and didn't provide what they didn't want. The meat industry didn't want to transport livestock anymore and the livestock cars went away.
Thank You for the info on the other uses for an upper class car when not in horse service, and they could be Expedited on a Psgr right to down town on the same train cast was on?
Yes passing a livestock truck could result in your car needing to go to a car wash and if you forgot to roll your windows up when one passed you, it could have been a bigger problem. However, I have never forgotten standing on the platform at Grafton while taking the B&O's National Limited and watching it being serviced and someone did not heed the DO NOT FLUSH WHILE STANDING IN STATION sign. Felt sorry for the car knockers and others. AT least the retention toilets have cured that issue. As Amtrak found out after some boaters under a bridge got dumped on by a passing train with heritage equipment. This could be a subject for a new thread.
NDGI understand these cars had two hinged End Doors on one end.
The hinged end doors were primarily for stage scenery, which is what the cars carried when not carrying horses. Not all horse-equipped baggage cars had scenery doors. PRR had several that also were used for ordinary "express" service when not needed for horses or scenery.
Instead of stopping at the pens (with all of the unloading/reloading issues) required for rest stops for cattle and sheep, cars carrying hogs could be flushed using multi-head sprayers. One more thing to freeze up in the winter.
Drivers in the Midwest know to roll their window up when a livestock truck approaches. Did train crews do the same when passing livestock cars?
[for our Dakota members]
(from the C&NW Hist. Soc.) This F-7A "extra" is hauling a lot of stock cars somewhere on the C&NW system, probably out in the Dakotas. It is a C&NW company photo with no information as to where or when it was taken
As mentioned, High Value Horses and such were moved in special Passenger Horse Cars which were modified Baggage Cars w Psgr Braking and Journals, Signal and Steam lines and heating.
There may well have been bunks and other accomidation for the handlers account Value.I understand these cars had two hinged End Doors on one end.On their final miles to the Race Track, the Horse Cars some times were moved over the streetcar tracks behind a Box or Steeple Cab electric, as the Park had streetcar loops and so forth.The race horses' paddocks faced the Ry. tracks, and they could view the Transfer with IT'S horses in stock cars passing by, if so inclined?Maybe the race horses went there, too, when THEIR day was done?? Probably by truck.Hmmm.
tree68 So many people refer to our baggage cars as "cattle cars" that I made a placard to post in one of the cars explaining what it was really for. That said, there were some baggage-style cars used to haul horses (probably mostly race horses) around the country. Sometimes I'll tell them about other things that got carried in baggage cars...
So many people refer to our baggage cars as "cattle cars" that I made a placard to post in one of the cars explaining what it was really for.
That said, there were some baggage-style cars used to haul horses (probably mostly race horses) around the country.
Sometimes I'll tell them about other things that got carried in baggage cars...
I have a baggage ticket for one of those "other things." Found it many years ago in the local depot.
Jeff
Thanks, Larry (tree68) That was a heart wrenching, beautiful poem.
I realize that this Thread's major topic here is rail movement of animals in specialized rail cars. But, with Tuesday of this week being FLAG DAY (6/14/2016) Never forget the important role that the railroads played in our history with other 'special movements'...
After WWII in 1947 from Port of NY the Joseph V. Connolly and in San Francisco the ship Honda Knot brought home some 231,181 repatriated, U.S. fighting men to be reinturred on American soil. The majority of them returned to homes all over the country by rail.
see this link with photos, from the website for Brooklyn Army Terminal & Bush Terminal @ http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/milrr/batbtww2repat.html
see also this link @ http://www.memorialdayfoundation.org/articles/safely-rest.html
Ok; Off my soapbox
My father told me of about 20 stock cars of a C&NW freight derailing in Wheaton in 1941. Some steers escaped that survived the crash, only to be shot by police as they ran through town.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
O T.Back in the day horses were also transported by rail.Near our home, the thru freight would set off cars containing horses in the spur, as they were usually on head end for easy switching, like reefers for icing, and set over for the next transfer, then pull out for the Hump, Power usually FA/B 1 or 2 and a gaggle of 244 RSs.Once the drag left, we would go over and look at the horses thru the slats in the stock cars, they pushing their noses thru to smell and lick. We wold go down in the ditch and get grass and poke it up to them, creating a stir. Last ripe natural food they would get?They were doomed, and some knew it.We also knew if we let them out, the Cops would chase them and shoot them in a real rodeo in the City, as no 'Cowboys' within miles.We also knew what happened to horses still in use pulling milk wagons and bread wagons that failed in their duty in the streets. Block Ice and large orders of coal and coke for heating traveled by motor truck.We had already seen the abattoirs where horses were processed, opposite the Main Shops in the East end, it's smell advertising their presenceShortly, a transfer would show up, usually a hand-fired 2-8-0, and couple on for the last miles, SOMETIMES with two or three or so written-off high speed post-war steam engines, rods off, cobwebs, rust and broken glass, spaced six cars apart bound for the Shops and the Torch, and make the lift and pull out.At night the same job would lift here, and the fire reflecting up to the smoke and steam above thru the ajar fire door would go Bright-Bright-Bright-Bright in answer to the exhaust.In the East end, both the engines and the horses were cut up on each side of the track.We went to watch them cut up steam, and two of the gas electrics, but, never went across the track, the smell was bad enough.Mikado handling stock cars on head end. Packing plant sidings to right, Main shop to Left, out of frame.https://rockontrains.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/cpr-no-5114-montreal-qc-6-23-59-credit-bob-krone.jpg
Another view, further along, on the flat. Streamlined Mikado.
Main Shops to left, Stock Cars in Packing Plant to right.http://www.railpictures.net/photo/301503/
A few months later the older Mikado waiting for it's Last Trip to the East End, horses on the point, in cars, to the same location, Left and Right.http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures%5C67684%5CCanadian%20Pacific%202140.TIF-1.jpgAs kids we would sneak thru the bush to the right and play on the locomotives, 'til we got caught one too many times.Life and Death, for a kid.CP 5114 was one of my faves, spewing cinders far and wide.Thank You..
Went to Battle Creek in the G/Y 9000 EMD F3 days, and the hog place adjacent really watered the eyes.
that "aroma of animal business waffe out of the car" is called "AMBROSIA" here in Pennsylvania where plenty of cattle are raised. Take a deep breath and enjoy the aroma.
K. P. Harrier This is a fascinating thread. Thanks for starting the thread FOUR years ago, Thomas 9011. Where have I been? Union Pacific’s Los Angeles & Salt Lake Line used to host a hot westbound hog train that unloaded somewhere near Los Angeles. I once saw (late 1970’s / early 1980’s) one of those hog trains go into the siding at Dry Lake, NV in the M.P. 374 area The hogs were watered there. The hog train ironically had gotten in the way of a hot westbound passenger special with GP40X’s on it (you can see how long ago that was). The hot passenger special rounded the final curve, previously passing a yellow, expecting a red in mountainous terrain. It saw a high green, and gunned it. What a show! The hog train then partially backed out of the siding, and the remaining hogs were watered while slowly going forward again. Cool show! Too bad that is not likely to be repeated in today’s world of no hog trains. --------- A personal memo to Los Angeles Rams Guy (10-01): Years ago my father-in-law had season tickets to Los Angeles Rams games in an Anaheim stadium, tickets I think he received because of his then railroad employment, and occasionally gave my wife and I tickets. Then the Rams became the St Louis Rams. It just so happened that my daughter and her husband moved to the St. Louis area. Quite a coincidence! What is the status of the continuing rumor that the Rams want to come back to Los Angeles? Are the Rams just playing games with the cities, or are they serious? Do you know anything about this?
This is a fascinating thread. Thanks for starting the thread FOUR years ago, Thomas 9011. Where have I been?
Union Pacific’s Los Angeles & Salt Lake Line used to host a hot westbound hog train that unloaded somewhere near Los Angeles. I once saw (late 1970’s / early 1980’s) one of those hog trains go into the siding at Dry Lake, NV in the M.P. 374 area The hogs were watered there. The hog train ironically had gotten in the way of a hot westbound passenger special with GP40X’s on it (you can see how long ago that was). The hot passenger special rounded the final curve, previously passing a yellow, expecting a red in mountainous terrain. It saw a high green, and gunned it. What a show! The hog train then partially backed out of the siding, and the remaining hogs were watered while slowly going forward again. Cool show! Too bad that is not likely to be repeated in today’s world of no hog trains.
---------
A personal memo to Los Angeles Rams Guy (10-01):
Years ago my father-in-law had season tickets to Los Angeles Rams games in an Anaheim stadium, tickets I think he received because of his then railroad employment, and occasionally gave my wife and I tickets. Then the Rams became the St Louis Rams. It just so happened that my daughter and her husband moved to the St. Louis area. Quite a coincidence! What is the status of the continuing rumor that the Rams want to come back to Los Angeles? Are the Rams just playing games with the cities, or are they serious? Do you know anything about this?
I grew up on a farm with a few cows, and had to help drive them to the pen, get them into the pen, get them into the trailer to go to market and clean the trailer afterward (!!!). With that experience, I would rather be shot than to deal with the quantities of cattle the railroads hauled. Cows pee and poop a lot under normal circumstances, and they pee and poop twice as much under the stress of being moved. While being moved they are scared and do stupid things; even 800-lb. brood cows can hurt the handlers or themselves, much less 1200-lb. fattened steers or bulls. When you factor in unloading the cattle once or twice during transit for food and water, and building and maintaining the facilities, dealing with large quantities of cattle is difficult, nasty and expensive. The railroads were probably happy when the business went away. I certainly wouldn't want to be one of the handlers.
chutton01 Since this thread was revived, note that Kalmbach came out with the Jeff Wilson book "Livestock & Meatpacking", which actually covers quite a bit of what was discussed on this thread.Not wanting to cover ground already gone over in this thread, one thing Mr Wilson mentions in his book is that Iowa Beef Processors (IBP) was a major force in changing how the meat industry was organized up to that point (stockyards to central urban slaughterhouses to local packing houses/distributors to retail clients) to the more decentralized yet more vertical system of the later 20th century:"NYT: IOWA BEEF REVOLUTIONIZED MEAT-PACKING INDUSTRY" Founded in 1960 in Denison, Iowa, the company transformed the staid processing business by moving its plants out of big cities into cattle-raising areas and introducing assembly-line butchering. By getting each meat cutter along the line to make the same cut over and over, Iowa Beef was able to argue that its workers were not skilled butchers but semiskilled laborers and should be paid accordingly.<snip>But the innovation for which it is most famous was the boxed-beef concept. Instead of just slaughtering cattle and shipping the boneheavy carcasses to market, Iowa beef pre-cut the steer, trimmed off much of the bone and fat -thus slashing transportation costs -and shipped the meat in vacuum-packed boxes to the stores. Thus it was able not only to offer the lowest cost beef, but also to permit its supermarket customers to employ fewer butchers. Admittedly, by 1960 truck hauling of cattle direct to slaugherhouses was becoming more common than by rail (which was true of many commodities at the time), but IBP changed the industry in a rather drastic fashion.
Since this thread was revived, note that Kalmbach came out with the Jeff Wilson book "Livestock & Meatpacking", which actually covers quite a bit of what was discussed on this thread.Not wanting to cover ground already gone over in this thread, one thing Mr Wilson mentions in his book is that Iowa Beef Processors (IBP) was a major force in changing how the meat industry was organized up to that point (stockyards to central urban slaughterhouses to local packing houses/distributors to retail clients) to the more decentralized yet more vertical system of the later 20th century:"NYT: IOWA BEEF REVOLUTIONIZED MEAT-PACKING INDUSTRY"
Founded in 1960 in Denison, Iowa, the company transformed the staid processing business by moving its plants out of big cities into cattle-raising areas and introducing assembly-line butchering. By getting each meat cutter along the line to make the same cut over and over, Iowa Beef was able to argue that its workers were not skilled butchers but semiskilled laborers and should be paid accordingly.<snip>But the innovation for which it is most famous was the boxed-beef concept. Instead of just slaughtering cattle and shipping the boneheavy carcasses to market, Iowa beef pre-cut the steer, trimmed off much of the bone and fat -thus slashing transportation costs -and shipped the meat in vacuum-packed boxes to the stores. Thus it was able not only to offer the lowest cost beef, but also to permit its supermarket customers to employ fewer butchers.
Admittedly, by 1960 truck hauling of cattle direct to slaugherhouses was becoming more common than by rail (which was true of many commodities at the time), but IBP changed the industry in a rather drastic fashion.
I suspect that the accelerated abandonment of a lot of branchline trackage from the post-war period forward also contributed to the demise of shipping cattle by rail. If the tracks aren't there to serve rural areas, then trucks are the only way to get cattle to market.
John Timm
We should all eat less meat and have more respect for the animals who share this earth with us. I'm no fan of stock trains and am glad that they're for the most part a thing of the past.
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