Quality grades continue downward trend
By Donna Farris, For Lee Agri-Media
Thursday, December 7, 2006 1:36 PM CST
A gradual trend of declining marbling levels in beef has become more dramatic in the past 18 months, and a session during the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association Convention will delve into why and what can be done about it.
“Marbling, because of its relationship to flavor in beef, is very important,” said Larry Corah, vice president of Certified Angus Beef. “Unfortunately, we've seen a decline in marbling levels over the past 25 years, which has been particularly accentuated in the last 18 months.”
While the exact cause for the decline in marbling and quality is unknown, there are a number of changes in the cattle industry that could be contributing factors.
One is an increase in the incidence of health problems at the feedlot level.
“When health problems occur, quality grades are dramatically impacted,” Corah said.
The increased use of ethanol byproducts, which are low in starch, could also be playing a role.
Another possibility could be the restructuring of the feed industry toward larger feedlots.
“Our data shows that larger feedlots, for a variety of reasons, have lower quality than smaller feeder types,” Corah said.
Production systems that focus on weight are often detrimental to quality, Corah said.
And, in building up their herds, today's feeders are keeping more heifers back for replacements, yet heifers outgrade steers in meat quality.
Corah said there are a number of management strategies that can help reverse the downward trend in quality concerning things like production systems, average daily gain, implants and health programs.
As the use of ethanol byproducts expands, researchers are looking into how high a level of distillers grains can be added to cattle diets before there are negative impacts, both for cattle and the environment. Feeding studies are under way at South Dakota State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other institutions, Corah said.
Genetics also play a major role in beef quality, and that starts at the cow/calf level. Through genetic selection, producers can impact quality grades.
“Marbling is a highly inheritable trait,” Corah said.
Overall, a number of today's cattle are fatter but with lower quality beef.
“What this has done is to create a huge demand for higher-quality products,” Corah said, which is favorable for the region.
“(This region's) calves traditionally tend to be some of the very best cattle produced. So these trends have positive economic benefits for (the region) and particularly for those who can hit the quality targets,” he said.
**************************************
What's wrong with this picture? I thought the growing demand and use of Angus bulls would pull us out of this depression?
By Donna Farris, For Lee Agri-Media
Thursday, December 7, 2006 1:36 PM CST
A gradual trend of declining marbling levels in beef has become more dramatic in the past 18 months, and a session during the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association Convention will delve into why and what can be done about it.
“Marbling, because of its relationship to flavor in beef, is very important,” said Larry Corah, vice president of Certified Angus Beef. “Unfortunately, we've seen a decline in marbling levels over the past 25 years, which has been particularly accentuated in the last 18 months.”
While the exact cause for the decline in marbling and quality is unknown, there are a number of changes in the cattle industry that could be contributing factors.
One is an increase in the incidence of health problems at the feedlot level.
“When health problems occur, quality grades are dramatically impacted,” Corah said.
The increased use of ethanol byproducts, which are low in starch, could also be playing a role.
Another possibility could be the restructuring of the feed industry toward larger feedlots.
“Our data shows that larger feedlots, for a variety of reasons, have lower quality than smaller feeder types,” Corah said.
Production systems that focus on weight are often detrimental to quality, Corah said.
And, in building up their herds, today's feeders are keeping more heifers back for replacements, yet heifers outgrade steers in meat quality.
Corah said there are a number of management strategies that can help reverse the downward trend in quality concerning things like production systems, average daily gain, implants and health programs.
As the use of ethanol byproducts expands, researchers are looking into how high a level of distillers grains can be added to cattle diets before there are negative impacts, both for cattle and the environment. Feeding studies are under way at South Dakota State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other institutions, Corah said.
Genetics also play a major role in beef quality, and that starts at the cow/calf level. Through genetic selection, producers can impact quality grades.
“Marbling is a highly inheritable trait,” Corah said.
Overall, a number of today's cattle are fatter but with lower quality beef.
“What this has done is to create a huge demand for higher-quality products,” Corah said, which is favorable for the region.
“(This region's) calves traditionally tend to be some of the very best cattle produced. So these trends have positive economic benefits for (the region) and particularly for those who can hit the quality targets,” he said.
**************************************
What's wrong with this picture? I thought the growing demand and use of Angus bulls would pull us out of this depression?
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