Final answer:
The history of the meatpacking industry demonstrates a shift from open range cattle grazing to large-scale urban meatpacking plants, leading to increased efficiency and changing consumer diets. The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was a direct response to unsanitary conditions revealed by Muckrakers, which led to better consumer products and safety. Today's beef industry includes vast feedlot operations and various consumer preferences like grass-fed beef.
Step-by-step explanation:
The progression from cattle grazing on open lands to their eventual processing in meatpacking plants reflects significant changes in American agriculture and industry. The advancement of technologies such as refrigerated transit and the decline of open range grazing, due to inventions like barbed wire, enabled the flourishing of large-scale meatpacking businesses in urban centers like Chicago; this is highlighted by industry pioneers such as Philip Armour and Gustavus Swift. Additionally, the work of Muckrakers and resulting reforms, such as the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, brought significant improvements to the sanitation and safety standards of the meatpacking industry, positively impacting consumer confidence and diet. Throughout these developments, there has been the continued evolution of cattle rearing in places such as Kern County, CA, where massive feedlot operations exist to fatten cattle before slaughter. These operations and others like them across the U.S. indicate the scale of the beef industry today, which is also shaped by consumer preferences for different types of beef, like grass-fed, which commands a higher market price.