Yakima Beef Production — Too “Sin”fully Good?

A 2017 report on land usage in Yakima County shows that the annual beef gate value of Washington is $5.69 billion with $1.2 billion of that coming from Yakima County which hold about 35 percent of the cows in the state.

The reason for such a consideration is to reduce the impact on human health and the environment.

Researchers say the global livestock industry causes 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions and meat consumption is rising around the world.

A new analysis from the investor network Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (Fairr) Initiative suggests meat is following the same path as tobacco, carbon emissions and sugar towards a sin tax with such taxes having already been discussed in parliaments in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

Since eating meat is, well, a meat & potatoes level event, meat taxes are often seen as politically impossible but researchers say people expect governments to lead on issues that are for the global good.  Experts suggest  that an Ag vs Environment review is coming.

According to the website Statista, in the past 10 years, the average retail price for a pound of hamburger has gone from $2.26 in 2006 to a high of $4.16 in 2014 and to $3.56 last year.  Just how high would the price of beef have to go before you tap out at the butcher shop?