Yes it’s true I have a “beef” with chicken. It’s Labor Day, grilling season is wrapping up, and unless you’re a hardcore griller you’ll soon be swapping the grill for the oven. Temps here in Arkansas will be in the 70s for much of the week with lows in the 50s! I get to wear long sleeves again!

If you ask my friends and family what don’t I like to eat, you might get answers like pineapple, bananas, and chicken. Yeah, the white meat. My sister on the other hand, I’m pretty sure she’s made of chicken. We went to the Dixie Stampede back in July. She took all my chicken and I ate all her pork, so we kinda get the best of both worlds.

Grilling for the family. Sister wants chicken, I made sure to include some red meat for my plate.

Not that I have anything against chicken or poultry producers, it’s just that the taste is kinda bland, and always the same. (In te interest of full disclosure, I write this after eating more than my fair share of grandmother’s fried chicken for Sunday dinner.) I realize that poultry producers are just like me, farmers working to feed the world, but here in Arkansas, the land of Tyson, seems like every meal starts with chicken. If I have a choice, I’ll chose a plate of beef or pork over chicken any day.

So how do the facts  (production and nutrition) line out for chicken vs beef?

  • 36.7% of Arkansas farm receipts ($2.64 billion) result from broiler production (12.% of U.S. production)
    • Cattle make up 6.1% ($437 million) of Arkansas farm receipts (1% of U.S. production) USDA ERS 2011
  • Arkansas ranks No.2 in national poultry product exports ($432.8 million) USDA ERS 2011
  • In 2010, U.S. Beef Consumption was a total of 26.4 billion pounds. USDA ERS
  • According to government guidelines, a serving qualifies as “extra lean” if it has less than 5g total fat, 2g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving. A serving qualifies as “lean” if it has less than 10g total fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving.
  • Beef is an excellent source of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium, and phosphorus; and a good source of choline, niacin, vitamin B6, iron, and riboflavin. BIWFD
  • A 100-gram (3 1/2-ounce) portion of roasted breast meat with skin has 197 calories, 30 grams of protein, 84 milligrams cholesterol and 7.8 grams fat (35% of total calories).
Any way you put it, I’ll take the red meat. Beef It’s What’s For Dinner (BIWFD) around my house!
How about you? What’s your meat of choice? What’s your favorite way to prepare it?
Happy Labor Day!

Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.