Back when I worked as a maintenance mechanic at Iowa Beef, there was a definite difference between being on the slaughter and butcher side of the plant, and being on the rendering side. Funny thing is, I would have to work the gut pile auger or the mealy or the hide soaker in the rendering side fixing something, then have to go to the butcher side and work on the conveyor or the chain hoist or the carcass rinser, and there was no provision for cleaning yourself or the equipment in between.

Nothing beats being up to your bellybutton in guts to give you a real sense of tolerance for what you eat. After working that stunt, dressing an elk or a deer wasn't disturbing at all. The toughest part of working at the plant (other than being hot and sweaty from dusk till dawn), was when they would bring in the 4-H bulls from the fair, and they'd be all dolled up and looking for their pampering session, and the boys would hot shot them into the knocking chute. I don't know as I care much for turning my food into a pet beforehand.

Anymore I make my own ground meat (beef, sausage, weiners). It is a chore, but the result is I know what is in my food, and I can control the quality. If there was one thing I learnt about working the slaughterhouse, you don't want to buy ground beef in a tube anymore.

I reckon the not knowing part of this is for the better. As much as it might turn folks stomachs to have to raise and butcher and process their own beef, if most folks ever saw what happened in a plant, they would be far more afraid of what comes out of there and onto their plate, maybe enough to convince them doing it themselves is preferable, or else going veg...