"I AM ANGUS"

[aussie_cowgirl]

in general i agree with your comments regarding red vs black angus, don't know about down under but in the usa the discrimination against red is rooted in the association of red color with shorthorn and the tendency for yellow fat, the premium for black is a direct correlation of black and angus therefore marbled and quality.

Is merely raising awareness of the quality of your product 'just marketing'? CAB has a particular set of carcass criteria which insure consistency of product quality.

This thread has drifted off course mainly because the principle of I am Angus has been ignored in favor of a debate over the relative quality of different breeds, perhaps if we all took a step back and consider the message we send to the consumer, and how and who delivers it, we can counter balance the folks who have the time and money to rip us up in the media every chance they get.

Part of my distaste for the proclaimed superiority comes from the fact I've seen more bad angus than good. Whilst stud breeders may have to adhere to strict carcass guidelines, commercial breeders don't. The quality of anything gets watered down with popularity. Shorthorn is still quite popular here so I'm unsure about the yellow fat issue. I remember someone saying gelbvieh often had a tendency but not shorties. But that sort of discrimination between 2 colours of a breed within by people WITHIN the industry really makes me wonder.

When I worked for a livestock seller I didn't see a lot of discrimination in the sale yard except between good and bad stock and that's how it should be. Brahman generally got discounted however but that is different in other states.

Unfortunately the destination of this thread was always going to become an argument about the merits of angus and it's irrelevance to marketing. Cattle are a product and the marketing for some part is what gets them sold, right down to the breeder. As a breeder, good marketing can make you more money. Take for example websites. The number of studs I see without a website is amazing. And personally I think that today they need one. People like a non-obligatory look at a product. Instead, with stud breeders who don't have their product available for view by the public, a person has to email for photos or a viewing and if it's not what they want, it's awkward to say that. I think you guys have it hard though because someone said you don't have stock agents over in the US. Here we have people who buy and sell cattle for a commission which makes getting your commercial stock out there a lot easier. They can facilitate transport for people with only a few head and can match up people wanting to buy and sell. Even though it comes at a cost it's still what most people do where I am. I think east there is a few people who just sell privately to feedlots though.

Doc talked about the glittery advertising in a sale catalogue and the sub par animals presented. These animals are still going to sell well because of all the glitter. Pretty pages, all the lovely comments etc. And they'll sell because even though the animal is right there, some people will believe it and buy the animal. And he is right, any angus operation would be mad to not consider marketing alongside the current 'I AM ANGUS' venture. If you haven't got the money to do it to that extent, why not just ride the crest of their wave. If we consider teen books, which is a giant market, when something like say harry potter becomes famous (due to a lot of hard work and marketing) all these copy cats ride that crest and take advantage of the consumers want for more to sell their own similar product.

Anyway, I'm waffling on. Marketing is important and should be utilised.

 

[robert]

I'm thinking we agree more than we disagree Aussie_cowgirl.

Eventually, any product that fails to deliver, and gets that reputation, will disappear, no matter how slick the marketing. CAB is about end product consistency and quality, there will be great variation in the type and kind of animal that winds up with a CAB roll on the carcass but so long as the product delivers then the advertizing merely reinforces that choice.

I am Angus is, in my not so humble opinion, THE most significant change in the promotion of our breed and industry for at least 20 years, comparable in its impact to the 'Elephant ads' but reaching out to both producers and consumers in a way that we connect on a much deeper, and perhaps emotional/spiritual level.

 

[Brandonm22]

Shorthorns and yellow fat? You mean Jersey and Guernsey and yellow fat? They are the only two breeds I know of with that trait.

It was my understanding that the problem was NOT yellow fat but that fattened Shorthorns (back in the day) tended to lay down fat unevenly (patchy). Thick globs of fat there and thinner cover over here on the same carcass. Herefords and Angus fattened more evenly allowing butchers to sell a more uniform product with ~the same fat thickness on the edge of each steak and roast. That seems like it would be a lot less of a problem today since so much more of the fat cover never appears in the grocery case.