Sorry for not giving you a more complete response, so I will remedy that now.
> I think it's unlikely we'll find a
> publicly funded institution (MARC
> or University) promoting a
> specific breed.
No, most public institutions do comparisons between breeds and also comparisons between breeding systems. Evidently you misunderstood my request. I requested ONE objective study that demonstrated that straightbred cattle made the rancher, farmer, primary producer, cattleman, beef producer, (whatever you choose to call the person that raises the animal), more profit than crossbred cattle. Hope you are clear about that now.
But I don't need a
> breed association or MARC to tell
> me that 40-50% of the cattle sold
> in the US are sold on some sort of
> grid. And that percentage is
> expected to get even larger.
> Successful grid marketing rewards
> consistency. Whether it's a
> quality or yield grid,
> "out" cattle that don't
> fit the grid can eat up premiums
> quickly.
No argument about the above.
Good straightbred cattle
> will more consistently fit
> whatever grid you'r aiming for.
Now this is pure breed association bunk. I guess you don't read anything put out by universities or reputable ag researchers. The consensus is that the most profitable genetics for "fitting most grids" and maximizing premiums from those grids is a combination of continental and british genetics. This means the most profitable animals are crossbreds.
But the real $$ are
> in branded beef. An Alta Genetics
> catalog quoted an Excel manager as
> saying they made most of their
> profit in a particular plant from
> about 10% of the cattle they
> processed. That 10% was the Prime,
> CAB, Sterling Silver, etc cattle.
Not really asking about profit levels you make for the packer. I am more interested in the profit levels of the producer.
Let me remind you about beef production 101.
In order to make a profit your income needs to exceed your expenses. Simply selling for a slightly higher price than the average of any market does not guarantee you a profit. You need to calculate the costs of production. The costs of production are far higher for straightbred cattle when compared to crossbred cattle, than any current premium on any grid market offers (except possibly one and I won't let you in on it yet)
I can read opinions all day long, on any side of an issue I care to, so please save yourself the trouble of posting more opinions. You know the old saying about what opinions are like and everybody has one.
I requested valid research. Look, I will be very generous, if you can find a breed funded study that shows straightbred cattle will make more money than crossbred cattle, for the commercial beef producer, I will accept it if referenced.
