This video takes students through the entire process of producing beef, from birth to store shelf.
It highlights the lack of competition in the United States cattle market, resulting in more ranchers going out of business and higher prices for consumers.
This video is part of a series of videos by Vox about the costs associated with meat production.
Teaching Tips
Positives
It provides an example to help students visualize the effects of a lack of competition and monopolies.
This explains why small ranch businesses have disappeared over time and how enforcing regulations to prevent monopolies is required for a market-based economic system to function.
Additional Prerequisites
It includes some business and economic terms that may require clarification.
Presenting information about the effects of agriculture and diet on climate change before this video would be helpful to connect the content to climate change.
There are ads before and during the video, and the last minute is sponsored content.
Differentiation
This is ideal for lessons in an economics class to illustrate some of the challenges of not enforcing or weakening anti-trust laws and government regulations.
Students could research other consolidating industries and companies that affect climate change, such as genetically modified seed companies that also produce pesticides to apply to those seeds, that also make plastics, other chemicals, or pharmaceuticals.
Science classes could connect this resource to lessons about agriculture, land use, deforestation, methane emissions, and nitrous oxide emissions.
Social studies classes could use this video when discussing the effects of large companies on small businesses within the same sector and the safety concerns associated with food production being highly consolidated (contamination issues, production issues, etc.).
Scientist Notes
The video spotlights activities in the cattle production cycle, measures to reduce competition, and ways to sustain human and environmental health through enforcing antitrust laws to reduce contract sales. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.4.9-12 Evaluate the extent to which competition among sellers and among buyers exists in specific markets.
D2.Eco.5.9-12 Describe the consequences of competition in specific markets.
D2.Eco.8.9-12 Describe the possible consequences, both intended and unintended, of government policies to improve market outcomes.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Language (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
