Branded Beef Marketing

[Anonymous]

Hi; More and more brand name beef labels are popping up, where beef is marketed by breed. The companies that sell these products tend to buy directly from (and pay a premium to) the producer. For example, in the Piedmontese breed, we have some 5 different companies that market the beef under their own label. And yet, the Billings, Montana NILE Show in October is one of the very few places you can go to see these cattle displayed or sold by private treaty. Do you think that Branded Beef marketing is the "way of the future" ?

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[Anonymous]

I don't think branded beef is the future. It's here, now. Certified Angus Beef has been available for about 25 years. There are currently about 40 branded products using the word "Angus" in their name. Not all the branded beef lines are breed products, though. The Thomas E. Wilson brand, the Sterling Silver Brand, Nolan Ryan and many others use any animal that meets their requirements.

> Hi; More and more brand name beef
> labels are popping up, where beef
> is marketed by breed. The
> companies that sell these products
> tend to buy directly from (and pay
> a premium to) the producer. For
> example, in the Piedmontese breed,
> we have some 5 different companies
> that market the beef under their
> own label. And yet, the Billings,
> Montana NILE Show in October is
> one of the very few places you can
> go to see these cattle displayed
> or sold by private treaty. Do you
> think that Branded Beef marketing
> is the "way of the
> future" ?

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[Anonymous]

I agree, branded beef is here to stay. But there will always be a market for generic beef. Of course I've been known to be a lousey predictor of coming trends/events. Some of the branded beef programs seem to be a cost point decision. Others I think are on the band wagon by branding just so they can have a share of the branded market. In my experience, Thomas E. Wilson means cheap, tough, flavorless beef. Although their pork isn't bad. But then again, 90% of all the fresh pork is pretty much the same anyway. Some store chains have there own branded programs and I think all it requires is that it be choice and beef. The local chain has Midwest Silver, I've compared it to T.E.Wilson and CAB. I can't tell the difference between CAB and Midwest Silver except it's a buck a pound less then CAB, and I've already stated what I think of Wilson. Those are the only branded fresh products we've tried. We have tried some of the prepared branded meats, meat loaf, barbequed, etc. Can't really see any difference other then personal taste preference in any of those. We felt it was incumbant on us to try some of the variety available to normal consumers. I still prefer dunmovin farms homegrown beef to any I've tried.

dunmovin farms

> I don't think branded beef is the
> future. It's here, now. Certified
> Angus Beef has been available for
> about 25 years. There are
> currently about 40 branded
> products using the word
> "Angus" in their name.
> Not all the branded beef lines are
> breed products, though. The Thomas
> E. Wilson brand, the Sterling
> Silver Brand, Nolan Ryan and many
> others use any animal that meets
> their requirements.

 

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to add that the CAB program could actually be called a "generic beef" because it is for ANY beef as long as it is a certain % black-hided. Many purebred simmental cattle go thru this program - along with any other breed or cross-breed. This program was set-up, is run by, and certified by the Angus assn, but is not exclusively Angus cattle - just black hided. Granted most black-hided cattle get that gene from Angus, but like the PB Simmies - they may have 1/1000th genes in them - or less. (that's only 10 generations away from an Angus base) Jeanne <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
> I agree, branded beef is here to
> stay. But there will always be a
> market for generic beef. Of course
> I've been known to be a lousey
> predictor of coming trends/events.
> Some of the branded beef programs
> seem to be a cost point decision.
> Others I think are on the band
> wagon by branding just so they can
> have a share of the branded
> market. In my experience, Thomas
> E. Wilson means cheap, tough,
> flavorless beef. Although their
> pork isn't bad. But then again,
> 90% of all the fresh pork is
> pretty much the same anyway. Some
> store chains have there own
> branded programs and I think all
> it requires is that it be choice
> and beef. The local chain has
> Midwest Silver, I've compared it
> to T.E.Wilson and CAB. I can't
> tell the difference between CAB
> and Midwest Silver except it's a
> buck a pound less then CAB, and
> I've already stated what I think
> of Wilson. Those are the only
> branded fresh products we've
> tried. We have tried some of the
> prepared branded meats, meat loaf,
> barbequed, etc. Can't really see
> any difference other then personal
> taste preference in any of those.
> We felt it was incumbant on us to
> try some of the variety available
> to normal consumers. I still
> prefer dunmovin farms homegrown
> beef to any I've tried.

> dunmovin farms

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[Anonymous]

> Just wanted to add that the CAB
> program could actually be called a
> "generic beef" because
> it is for ANY beef as long as it
> is a certain % black-hided. Many
> purebred simmental cattle go thru
> this program - along with any
> other breed or cross-breed. This
> program was set-up, is run by, and
> certified by the Angus assn, but
> is not exclusively Angus cattle -
> just black hided. Granted most
> black-hided cattle get that gene
> from Angus, but like the PB
> Simmies - they may have 1/1000th
> genes in them - or less. (that's
> only 10 generations away from an
> Angus base) Jeanne
> <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A> Has anyone tried the Lauras Lean Beef or Georgetown Farms "Silver Beef" ? The CAB program has certainly tested the water and found success, but as you mention, is "generic". Many of the new labels marketing Piedmontese beef have a requirement that the cattle carry the specific gene that is responsible for the leaness & tenderness - the Myostatin Gene. The breed association (North American Piedmontese Association - NAPA) has a requirement that all cattle must carry at least one copy of this gene in order to be registered. Most Piedmontese are 2-copy for Myostatin, so they pass the leaness & tenderness along to all crossbred offspring. Branded beef marketers trust the years of USDA research which has proven that this beef is consistently lean and more tender, so they are building their labels around the Myostatin gene rather than around the color of the hide. This type of gene-specific beef marketing is very new - the Piedmontese are the only breed I know of that has a DNA gene test requirement for registry; or for some branded beef products.

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[Anonymous]

Gee, Jeanne, this was a great opportunity to tell us about the Simmental Branded Beef program. I'd love to hear about it. Instead, you take the opportunity to mis-represent CAB. There's much more to CAB than just the black hide. Here's a link <A HREF="http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/cabprogram/html/fastfacts.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/cabprogram/html/fastfacts.html</A> that actually tells what is required before an animal is certified. You can call it "generic" if you want, but the last figures I saw said CAB had added over $350 per head to the value of Angus bulls. Makes me happy....

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[Anonymous]

You got me all wrong. I am an advocate of the CAB program. It has done the best job of promoting BEEF than anything out there. I try not to turn this board into a promotion for my breed. The simmental assn does not have a "branded beef" program, but we are one of the few (along with Angus) that is doing research on the tenderness gene and carcass evalutations. The CAB program is making many breeders (including the Simmental) more money for their steers. Can't knock that! Jeanne <A HREF="http://www.SimmeValley.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.SimmeValley.com</A>
> Gee, Jeanne, this was a great
> opportunity to tell us about the
> Simmental Branded Beef program.
> I'd love to hear about it.
> Instead, you take the opportunity
> to mis-represent CAB. There's much
> more to CAB than just the black
> hide. Here's a link
> <A HREF="http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/cabprogram/html/fastfacts.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/cabprogram/html/fastfacts.html</A>
> that actually tells what is
> required before an animal is
> certified. You can call it
> "generic" if you want,
> but the last figures I saw said
> CAB had added over $350 per head
> to the value of Angus bulls. Makes
> me happy....

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[Anonymous]

Spent a long time in retail and brands are very important to the PERCEPTION of the product. Paint manuf. played games with the cost and quality of paint for years, sell a good paint, get a reputation and then pull the weight out of the can, sell it on a price point to the public and buy a new brand to build a new reputation on as people SLOWLY realize that such and such a brand isn't any good any more. CAB is still trading on the reputation for quality that was built on the angus of the 1950s &60s. An abysmal number of angus will not grade to meet CAB standards today( the standards aren't that tuff). I think that branded beef is the hope of the future but not in the breed sense but in the real quality of meat getting to the customers, the eaters, not the packers. I rarly eat beef in an unknown resturant since so many chefs think that a steak must be bloody in order to be chewable thanks to todays beef quality.

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[Anonymous]

CAB wasn't invented till the '70's it never became popular till the 90's. So how was it built on the cattle of the past?

CAB is still growing because consumers enjoy the product. They are willing to pay more because they are confident it will taste good.

The Canadian Angus Association launched a new branded beef program and it has sold more than 4 million pounds in 10 months. It is the largest selling branded beef in retail food service in Canada. Yup must be for a reputation made 40 years ago....NOT!!!!! It is in demand NOW. Consumers pay for what they want, and enjoy.

The only breed other than Angus to have a branded beef program is Hereford. They have 2 I know of, Angus has 20. The proof is in the sales.

I wonder how Pied (on) beef would sell?????!!!!

Jason

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[Anonymous]

CAB is growing because people are buying the PERCEPTION of a better product. Why do the cuts in the beef counter that are bright red sell before the slightly darker and probably "MORE aAGED" ones. If CAB guarentees such a quality product why are so many steak houses moving to a marinated product. CAB beef cannot be picked from other beef in blind tastings. HECK several years ago the cover of sucessful farming had a display of black and red cattle fitted and shown side by side from Leachman's breeding program and most cattlemen couldn't pick which one was which on the hoof with the hides still attached.(MYself included) Dont get me wrong, CAB is a great program FOR CATTLEMEN. the consumer is still getting beef that is inconsistant in quality and there is no current way to get info back to breeders which bloodlines thro dark cutters, low marbling, or just plain tuff meat. Identity preserved cattle are a start but I heard of a program that tags each carcass and the end data goes back to the breeder thru the feedlot; grade, dressing percentages, ect, and the feed lot adds it's own numbers; days on feed, feed conversion, added expense(vet,meds ect) . This is the type of program that I think we need to see.

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[Anonymous]

> CAB is growing because people are
> buying the PERCEPTION of a better
> product. Why do the cuts in the
> beef counter that are bright red
> sell before the slightly darker
> and probably "MORE
> aAGED" ones. If CAB
> guarentees such a quality product
> why are so many steak houses
> moving to a marinated product. CAB
> beef cannot be picked from other
> beef in blind tastings. HECK
> several years ago the cover of
> sucessful farming had a display of
> black and red cattle fitted and
> shown side by side from Leachman's
> breeding program and most
> cattlemen couldn't pick which one
> was which on the hoof with the
> hides still attached.(MYself
> included) Dont get me wrong, CAB
> is a great program FOR CATTLEMEN.
> the consumer is still getting beef
> that is inconsistant in quality
> and there is no current way to get
> info back to breeders which
> bloodlines thro dark cutters, low
> marbling, or just plain tuff meat.
> Identity preserved cattle are a
> start but I heard of a program
> that tags each carcass and the end
> data goes back to the breeder thru
> the feedlot; grade, dressing
> percentages, ect, and the feed lot
> adds it's own numbers; days on
> feed, feed conversion, added
> expense(vet,meds ect) . This is
> the type of program that I think
> we need to see. I agree - the producer needs to learn more about what it is he is producing, as far as beef quality goes. Getting data back from within your own program is useful, but it takes some generations of selection to make any impact on carcass quality, unless you introduce known GENETIC factors. I have copied and pasted an article directly from the USDA site which carries the reports from the Meat Animal Research Center. The myostatin gene offers powerful potential to improve meat quality! (Un-edited version below) The Effects of Piedmontese Inheritance and Myostatin Genotype on the Tenderness of Longissimus Thoracis, Gluteus Medius, Semimembranosus, and Biceps Femoris

Publication: Journal Of Animal Science Publication Request Approval Date: February 9, 2001 Interpretive Summary: It was recently shown that an inactivated myostatin gene is responsible for double muscling in cattle. Most studies of double muscling in cattle indicate that meat tenderness is improved, although many studies have involved only the ribeye muscle. We have reported that Piedmontese with one copy of the double muscling gene have more tender ribeye muscle. However, the magnitude of the effect on tenderness of one (heterozygous) and two (homozygous) copies of the gene was not clear. Furthermore, it was not known how much of the effect of improved tenderness in the Piedmontese breed was due to the double muscling gene and how much was due to other genes. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the relative contributions of percentage Piedmontese inheritance and double muscling to tenderness of ribeye, top sirloin, top round, and bottom round cuts. The results indicate that the effects of Piedmontese inheritance on meat tenderness were due entirely to the double muscling gene. All four cuts from heterozygous animals with one copy of the double muscling gene were more tender and had less connective tissue than normal animals. Only the bottom round cut was further increased in tenderness with two copies of the double muscling gene relative to one copy. Piedmontese bulls homozygous for double muscling could be used as terminal sires to produce heterozygous progeny with improved tenderness in the four muscles studied. Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the relative contributions of Piedmontese inheritance (0, 25, 50, or 75%) and myostatin genotype (+/+, mh/+, and mh/mh) to tenderness of four major muscles. Over 4 years, matings were made to produce 396 animals with 0 (+/+), 1 (mh/+), or 2 (mh/mh) inactive myostatin alleles which were known to result in normal muscling, heavy muscling, and extremely heavy muscling, respectively. Data from four muscles at 14 d postmortem were analyzed for the main effects of group (eight combinations of myostatin genotype and percentage Piedmontese; [+/+]/0%, [+/+]/25%, [+/+]/50%, [mh/+]/25%, [mh/+]/50%, [mh/+]/75%, [mh/mh]/50%, [mh/mh]/75%) and muscle. Within myostatin genotypes, contrasts to test the effect of percentage Piedmontese were not significant (P > 0.05). Data were reanalyzed for the main effects of myostatin genotype and muscle. Tenderness, ease of fragmentation, and amount of connective tissue ratings were higher (P

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[Anonymous]

>>> they are building their labels around the Myostatin gene rather than around the color of the hide. This type of gene-specific beef marketing is very new - the Piedmontese are the only breed I know of that has a DNA gene test requirement for registry; or for some branded beef products. >>>

And what branded beef products would those be? Here is a link to the current certified branded beef programs:

<A HREF="http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/certprog/certbeef.htm" TARGET="_blank">http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/certprog/certbeef.htm</A>

(You will have to copy the link and paset it together if it breaks.)

I don't see the ones you speak of listed.

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[Anonymous]

>>>> the Piedmontese are the only breed I know of that has a DNA gene test requirement for registry >>>>

Actually, they do not require the test of fullblooded females. They are only spot checked. See their current fee schedule: <A HREF="http://www.clrc.on.ca/58-6fees.pdf" TARGET="_blank">http://www.clrc.on.ca/58-6fees.pdf</A>

The Angus Breed requires DNA on all AI sires and all Donor cows.

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