Hogs

[Frankie]

Looks like the hog producers are getting the word about consumers preferring marbled meat, too. I wonder if chicken will follow…

"DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Coming soon to a dinner table near you: the pork chop of the future, with a retro twist.
Just as the "other white meat" is finally shaking off its fatty, unhealthy image of a generation ago, hog producers are now being encouraged to increase the fat to improve the flavor.
Welcome to the world of "lean marbled pork" -- a conundrum that was a popular topic among the hundreds of pork farmers and enthusiasts at the annual World Pork Expo here this month.
"Some people think we've gone too far in taking all the fat out," said David Meisinger, assistant vice president of educational services at the National Pork Board.
"When consumers buy pork, they don't want to see any fat in there. But when they eat it, they like the flavor and juiciness that a little bit of fat gives it…."

The rest of the article is here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050624/lf_ ... od_pork_dc

 

[mwj]

Not really a new trend. The pork producers have been using Berkshire genetics for several years to add internal fat for the Japanese market. Premiums for what the consumer wants tends to stimulate the market place. This seems to work better than the cattle producers having the attitude that we can ''force'' our product into there markets :shock:

 

[Frankie]

Not really a new trend. The pork producers have been using Berkshire genetics for several years to add internal fat for the Japanese market. Premiums for what the consumer wants tends to stimulate the market place. This seems to work better than the cattle producers having the attitude that we can ''force'' our product into there markets :shock:

I didn't know that about the Japanese market. What drives you crazy is this comment "Hog producers say this latest goal may take about a year to realize..." They can almost turn their entire industry around in a year and we've lost some of our export markets because of this new case of BSE. I'm afraid it may be a tough year for cattle prices.

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I think you are right about the prices. That's why I made a trip to the stockyards with the Holstein foster calf this morning. I figure in the 400# range, he will bring a better price now than any time in the future.

 

[mwj]

The pork producers in this country run there operations to mesh with the needs of the packers and consumers. They do not have the breed envy and breed loyalty that we do. They use maternal and terminal breeding programs that have the genetics down to a science. If the pork packers opened a new market next week with a need for diferant carcas traits, The producers could be marketig those hogs in less than 2 years if the price was right :shock: The beef industry can not change that quickly and is not in control of there animals like the pork producers and never will be. That is the only reason that there are so many people in the cattle game :cboy: