Marbling (Quality) in Serious Decline
- Thread starter MikeC
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Frankie,
Keep drinking the Angus Kool-Aid.
I don't tell you my customers names (protected under client privilege), but you don't give us anything but Angus fluff, and call it fact.
All you do it listen to the office and "report" it her.
Hell, we've all seen what you already know, we read it too!!!
3MR, asks what's right with what I do. I guess running averages of over 65% CAB on our blacks is right enough with me. Funny part is, these crossbred bulls, and Continental influenced bulls hit CAB higher than the Angus ones.
But, frankie will dismiss this as hot air w/o any backing, since it doesn't come from her sacred Angus Journal. To her, AJ is scientific fact.
Hey frankie, if you want scientific fact, why don't you call MARC, and ask them how fertile Angus are? Of course, we never see that in the AJ, thought scientifically reviewed.
mtnman
Keep drinking the Angus Kool-Aid.
I don't tell you my customers names (protected under client privilege), but you don't give us anything but Angus fluff, and call it fact.
All you do it listen to the office and "report" it her.
Hell, we've all seen what you already know, we read it too!!!
3MR, asks what's right with what I do. I guess running averages of over 65% CAB on our blacks is right enough with me. Funny part is, these crossbred bulls, and Continental influenced bulls hit CAB higher than the Angus ones.
But, frankie will dismiss this as hot air w/o any backing, since it doesn't come from her sacred Angus Journal. To her, AJ is scientific fact.
Hey frankie, if you want scientific fact, why don't you call MARC, and ask them how fertile Angus are? Of course, we never see that in the AJ, thought scientifically reviewed.
mtnman
preston39
Well-known member
There is a suttle message within these posts and is reality.
We are only months away from national ID which will allow the harvestors to report carcass grading back to the feed lots and in turn back to the local buyers. When an animal comes into the sale ring the premise ID will appear on the screen and the buyer will know what to pay for that production. From several sources the opinion is that discount will be up to 30-40 %.
There is but a short time to get the genetics into herds to avoid that reduction.
We are only months away from national ID which will allow the harvestors to report carcass grading back to the feed lots and in turn back to the local buyers. When an animal comes into the sale ring the premise ID will appear on the screen and the buyer will know what to pay for that production. From several sources the opinion is that discount will be up to 30-40 %.
There is but a short time to get the genetics into herds to avoid that reduction.
I don't mean too throw a wrench in the works here; but has anybody considered that the problem with declining marbling PROBABLY has more to do with later maturing cattle than it does with BREED. I don't want to go back too 425 lb weaning wts; BUT when we all had those fat little dink calves nobody was whining about us not having enough Choice or Prime carcasses. Now in a lot of herds, a cow is close to being a cull if she weans off a calf weighing less than 550. Laying down fat (even marbling) is NOT very energy efficient. MAYBE (and I know I don't have a genetics degree) as we keep selecting cattle (ESPECIALLY the Anguses) for more and more preweaning growth we are ALSO selecting for less and less marbling.
I don't think you will ever hear about a customer going
into an eating establishment and asking:
"are your steaks marbled?".
Instead, the customer will ask: "Are your steaks tender?"
Marbling(grade) is not the same as tenderness. That's
why we GeneStar test our breeding herd for the
presently-known gene factors for DNA tenderness
potential.
into an eating establishment and asking:
"are your steaks marbled?".
Instead, the customer will ask: "Are your steaks tender?"
Marbling(grade) is not the same as tenderness. That's
why we GeneStar test our breeding herd for the
presently-known gene factors for DNA tenderness
potential.
cows with less than 5 of the 6 possible "stars" are culled
unless they are good moms & we use them as recipients.
Actual cull cows are sold as ground beef & that shows more
profit than taking them to the sale barn.
unless they are good moms & we use them as recipients.
Actual cull cows are sold as ground beef & that shows more
profit than taking them to the sale barn.
Jake
Well-known member
I just wanted to throw something in here on the backside. IMO alot of the marbling issues we're seeing is from cattle being harvested too young. Most cattle are butchered at between 12-1300, if you look at the mature average mature cow size of most registered and commercial herds your going to find most cows mature at around 15-1600. These cattle have so much size bred into them that they are maturing at a different rate than the cattle of the mid to late 80s that matured at 1200-1400. These cattle really need to be waited out to allow them to marble to their full capability.
All the cattle run thru my feedlot are vaccinated the same fed the same implanted the same way. Whenever there is a set of cattle that graded poorly there is always 1 common thread between the poor graders. I bought them skinny. I've never purchased a fleshy set of cattle that graded poorly.
That is another thing I will never understand. Why do you cow calf guys let me make the easy money off of you? Why do you sell those calves half starved? You people work so very hard all year long caring for the cows, up at night during calving season. Then you provide good care for the calves only to sell me those calves light so I make the money off the cheap gain. It makes no sense to me.
100 years ago I could maybe see doing it that way when cattle where bought by the head. It has been years since I bought cattle by the head. Everything goes across the scale. Get paid for what you do. I won't mind that they weigh more at the time of purchase because I know they will grade better at kill.
That is another thing I will never understand. Why do you cow calf guys let me make the easy money off of you? Why do you sell those calves half starved? You people work so very hard all year long caring for the cows, up at night during calving season. Then you provide good care for the calves only to sell me those calves light so I make the money off the cheap gain. It makes no sense to me.
100 years ago I could maybe see doing it that way when cattle where bought by the head. It has been years since I bought cattle by the head. Everything goes across the scale. Get paid for what you do. I won't mind that they weigh more at the time of purchase because I know they will grade better at kill.
Jake has brought up a good point. And I agree 100%. Before we blame genetics, implants ect. They should hold them to finish (maturity). They (feedlots) won't do that, costs them money. Easier/ cheaper to blame the producer. The people who buy cattle need to decide what they want. What they need is a cow in the 1200-1300 pound range.Jake":nakbjwg6 said:
Bluestem I have to argue one point it doesn't cost feedlots more to feed cattle to heavier weights. In fact it costs me more to buy replacements than to feed the ones I've already paid for. Corn is always cheaper than cattle. We sell by the pound not by the head the reason we need to sell lighter than we would like to is simple.Bluestem":2rkgn3r2 said:
That reason being someone thought it would be intelligent to have a scottish highland cow bred by an angus bull. Now we the feedlot owners are the proud owners of a poor gaining black hided yak looking animals. These people somehow thought it was a good idea to cross breed these animals because it might be a cute calf. That is one reason for poor grading poor gaining animals.
After visiting as many salebarns as I have you begin to fully understand why it is the cattle business is declining not so much in numbers but quality is suffering for sure. To much junk cattle being bred to junk cattle. There are more junk breeders than there are good breeders anymore.
somn":32g0l67j said:
You know of course that YOUR feedlot did not have to buy the Yak looking calves. You COULD pass and let those calves go with the culls for burger. The reason you bought the Yaks is because they were CHEAP. You would rather pay $15 cwt below market (probably to some hobbyist who will be thrilled with the check) than pass on the "deal" and bid $2 cwt over market for a great set of calves. I am sorry but I can't pretend that I feel sorry for the feedlots. You encourage this menagerie by buying anything that runs across the scales.
I've never bid on a yak in my life. I pass on every crappy looking steer or bull that comes thru the ring.
I can't be everywhere all the time. Sometimes you need to place your trust in other people. I used to trust order buyers. I don't anymore. I now buy and haul home all of my cattle myself. Now I put my trust in the people caring for my cattle in the feedlot when I'm not there. But the facts are facts junk cattle bred to junk cattle equal junk cattle. Stop breeding junk and the quality will rise. It starts at conception and ends in the feedlot. We can't undo what you people have done with feed alone.
I can't be everywhere all the time. Sometimes you need to place your trust in other people. I used to trust order buyers. I don't anymore. I now buy and haul home all of my cattle myself. Now I put my trust in the people caring for my cattle in the feedlot when I'm not there. But the facts are facts junk cattle bred to junk cattle equal junk cattle. Stop breeding junk and the quality will rise. It starts at conception and ends in the feedlot. We can't undo what you people have done with feed alone.
Somn said quote- '
Bluestem I have to argue one point it doesn't cost feedlots more to feed cattle to heavier weights. In fact it costs me more to buy replacements than to feed the ones I've already paid for. Corn is always cheaper than cattle. We sell by the pound not by the head the reason we need to sell lighter than we would like to is simple."
I guess I'm a little hardheaded and slow. But I don't get what your saying. Corn is not free. So I would think that it would cost more to put that weight on. Explain- "to sell lighter than we would like to is simple."
I will agree there are alot of junk cows out there. But someone buys them. Don't buy them and they will go away. I've spent years trying to improve my genetics. Feel I'm getting there. But I don't get much more than the junk at the sale barn. So now only my culls go to the sale barn. Even that may change in the future.
Bluestem I have to argue one point it doesn't cost feedlots more to feed cattle to heavier weights. In fact it costs me more to buy replacements than to feed the ones I've already paid for. Corn is always cheaper than cattle. We sell by the pound not by the head the reason we need to sell lighter than we would like to is simple."
I guess I'm a little hardheaded and slow. But I don't get what your saying. Corn is not free. So I would think that it would cost more to put that weight on. Explain- "to sell lighter than we would like to is simple."
I will agree there are alot of junk cows out there. But someone buys them. Don't buy them and they will go away. I've spent years trying to improve my genetics. Feel I'm getting there. But I don't get much more than the junk at the sale barn. So now only my culls go to the sale barn. Even that may change in the future.
You must have missed the reason the first time I will copy and paste it for you.Bluestem":1xdjgoyk said:
That reason being someone thought it would be intelligent to have a scottish highland cow bred by an angus bull. Now we the feedlot owners are the proud owners of a poor gaining black hided yak looking animals. These people somehow thought it was a good idea to cross breed these animals because it might be a cute calf. That is one reason for poor grading poor gaining animals.
It is tough to feed a black yak to 1500 pounds in a year. Some of this inbed, cross bred, junk will never have the potential of 1500 pounds. If I need to hold the steer longer than a year to finish it who will buy your next years calf crop not me I'm still trying to finish out the yak. I'm not trying to single out yaks here as there are many different colors and cross breeds of junk cattle.
I never said corn was free I said it is cheaper than cattle. It costs me the same amount of money to feed the steer I have compared to the one I would need to buy. So think about it why do I want to spend a pile of money to buy another steer and start putting pounds on it instead of putting more pounds on the one I already have.
I will say it again in case some missed it. It starts at conception and ends in the feedlot. We the feedlot can't undo what you people crossbreeding junk to junk have done with feed alone. There is an old saying stain glass windows on an outhouse don't make it a church it is still an outhouse. Same goes with cattle using a good bull on a junk cow gets you a junk calf.
Brandonm2 if you are a yak farmer and I offended you I apologize. Yaks may have there place somewhere in the cattle business but a feedlot is not it.
