With the Blaine County Fair in the books and other fairs close to follow, local 4-H and FFA youth are encouraging Montanans to support them and their livestock sales. Not only will such a purchase be cost effective, shopping locally has multiple additional benefits, provided a person understands farm to table computations.

According to a University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture publication, "How Much Meat to Expect from a Beef Carcass," the amount of meat actually available from a beef animal is a frequent source of misunderstanding between consumers, processors, and cattle produc...