I ran across this today while reading Allan Nation's blog (editor of the Stockman Grass Farmer) and it really hit me. Take the link above to read the post for yourself, but the title is what really grabbed me ... "Falling Car Sales Take Down World Beef Prices". I will admit that I read that and I thought ... "Huh?" But, after reading about it I can see how the slowing car sales (especially of cars with leather features) can have an impact on the cattle industry ... I just never would have made the connection.The connection between the cars and the beef is the hide. According to Mr. Nation's post car interiors made up 12% of the world's leather use in 2007 and that percentage has dropped to 8% now. It may not seem like a lot, but I guess it makes a pretty big splash in the bucket and that splash gets passed down the line to producers and everyone else.
This all reminds me how interconnected our society really is with agriculture even if we don't realize it. As I have mentioned before, even here in Iowa there are less and less people that have a direct connection to farms or a particular farm family and that lack of connection can only hurt us (both farmers and consumers). In my mind it is just another reason to talk agriculture as much as you can and always be open and transparent about what you do and why you do it. A good reminder for me!
