You can't make some stuff up. Ten years ago, America's biggest cattle killer, Brazilian firm JBS, was a $1-billion-in-sales, Brazil-only meatpacker. Today, with the help of more than $4 billion in loans from Brazil's national development bank, BNDES, “25% of the worldwide trade in beef comes from JBS,” the firm's boss told the Washington Post in mid-April.

That means, according to the Post, JBS is a “$40-billion behemoth that slaughters 90,000 head of cattle/day, employs 125,000 workers and exports to 150 countries. In the U.S. alone, it employs 75,000 and is projecting revenues of $28 billion this year.”

By the way, Reuters reported May 18 that “Brazil's state development bank BNDES will raise its stake in beef producer JBS SA to 30% from 17%.”

Wow, America's biggest beef packer is 30% owned by the Brazilian state bank? Stunning.

Stunning, too, is just how foolish you and I were for not getting into the checkoff game early and with both hands.

To read the entire article, link here.