As American appetite for beef falls, ranchers look abroad

For the past decade, cattle ranchers and meat packers watched with despair as America's beef consumption steadily declined, ceding ground to leaner meats, vegetarian diets and lower-cost dishes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 2011 U.S. per capita beef consumption at 57.6 pounds, down 13 percent from 10 years ago and down about 25 percent from 1980. In 2012, the USDA predicts, Americans will eat 54.1 pounds of beef on average. The beef industry is coping with these changes by developing new cuts that will satisfy appetites for steaks but at a lower cost. Also, it has benefited from a huge recovery in beef exports, particularly to Asia and Russia, where consumers are upgrading their diets and concerns about mad cow disease fade...more