With all the beef eaten in this country... (1 Viewer)

Why aren't we all wearing free leather jackets?

Where's all the leather going?

If I had to guess, either the skin of cows bred for beef isn't suitable for use as leather, or the slaughter process for cows does something that damages the skin making it unsuitable for use as leather; the flip side being that in processing a carcess to get the leather, the meat is not properly preserved for consumption.

If Yee-Ming is wrong, and I sincerely hope he is because that would be a shame for all that leather/beef to go to waste depending on the cow's purpose, then I think you just have to look at where it's going.

I suspect that cows being used for leather are good for beef also, maybe not as good as cows raised specifically for beef, but still good. I do know that good leather comes from cows raised in certain environments, such as not being exposed to barbed wire which scratches the leather. There may be only certain breeds of cows that give high quality leather I'd bet. Then consider this, my couch took upwards of 7 cows, yet I probably don't eat near that much a year. My car, plus shoes and belts, might equal another cow, although I imagine there'd be some left over. One cow can probably make several leather jackets because of how thin it is stretched.

Still, perhaps the cost of the leather isn't in the cow, but rather the work needed to make it usable. It's got to be skinned properly, cleaned, tanned, stretched, died, etc., and then cutting and sewing probably takes more costly equipment compared to most materials, and the process is longer. So lots of leather may go to waste just because there's not the demand for it.

I dunno, this is all just speculation on my part.

well, a lot of it doesn't make it to leather jackets, because, quite frankly, it isn't in good enough shape for that, raising cattle for that purpose is much more meticulous.

But a lot of the hides are used for different purposes, quite a bit of it is processed up and used in the creation of dog foods, cat foods, and yes, some jerky

Because of the way non-Kosher hides are processed (the animal is routinely dunked into hot water to soften the hide before it is stripped) it's pretty unsuitable for anything else.

I hope I'm wrong too; perhaps I should have specifically stated that the meat might not be fit for "human" consumption, but might go into pet food, or "horrors" animal feed -- which now is presumably banned in view of BSE.

A lot of it goes into women's shoe closets

Does anyone remember an SNL skit called the Leather Report?

*looks guiltily at her 30+ pairs of shoes while hearing "moo's" from the distant pasture :b

heh

Ever been to Daytona during bike week? Thats fifty years of American cattle leftovers in one town.


That reminds me..60 degrees!!! I'm ridin' this weekend!

Part of the dunked hide is used for what are called secondary process goods.. like sporting equipment, etc.. things where their lack of luster doesn't matter as much

But aren't (American) footballs called "pigskins"? Suggesting that they are not made of cowhide, but of pighide. Where's the bacon?

I think they are.. or maybe were. Pigskin has a different grain to it, like a footbal.

As long as we all don't get free leather pants. That would be a scary sight!

Garrett is right, I've seen it with my own eyes. You can almost smell the leather as you ride into Daytona.

This might be a bit gross to some people but cow hides are used in the production of Jello.

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/jello.htm

Oh yes, I forgot gellatin is made from animals. It's basically the same stuff you find in canned ham.

So, for those of you preparing vegetarian meals, make sure to leave out the jell-o.

The Big Mac. Have you ever tried that beef that chews like leather?


Peace Out~

Aren't cows outside a lot of the time? When it's
raining, do cows go up to the farmhouse, "Let us in! We're all wearing
leather! Open the door! We're going to ruin the whole outfit here!"


what's a leather thread without some classic Seinfeld?