Sounds like alot of Angus people in on this question. I'll throw my two cents in on colors, and type. Then step on some toes, and then y'all can hammer me...
Soap Box
The Angus Assoc. and breeders did a great job of marketing their cattle years ago, based on carcass quality and taste of the beef. Now it helped their marketing that "some" Angus sires typically threw lightweight calves, (athough many Angus sires in the semen directories nowadays have BW's in the 90's).. ;-), they were homozygous (an added plus), and had the dominant black gene. (and they dig, but that's another story..
). So, finishers picked up on this $ per lb for a better hanging "british" carcass and it trickled to the the buyer. "Fill those feed lots with black and get more money" came the call. Now that was fine until that dominant black gene began to filter over and not just mean "Angus" anymore. We had black Limo's (Supposed to be red), Black Simmi's (supposed to be cream and white), Brangus for the Southern states (ever seen a jet black Brahman?), Black Mane Anjue, Black heinz 57's, Black Chiania's (white)...heck even black holstiens.. :lol: Black was where the money was at (and in most cases still is).
But.....a couple of years ago the Cert. Angus Beef Program (CAB) had to "reevaluate" it's direction. They were sure getting alot of black in the feedlots (I'm pretty sure the CAB Program only required "X" % black, but)
nothing about 50% "Angus". an early CAB mistake) so the quality of the carcass went down. (go figure...they weren't all british anymore) Of the thousands and thousands of "black" head which made there way into the CAB lots, only 18% qualified as CAB. (most of them had white faces... :shock: You wonder why the black baldy started to outsell (and still does) solid black? Because buyers could assume within reason that calf might have Hereford in it...which meant british...which meant better carcass...and more $ return hanging. Sometimes the white face meant Simmi, but they'd take their chance. If I'm not mistaken, in the last couple of years the CAB program started requiring 50% angus for their lots to correct this problem. I think it has worked.
But......The Hereford people jumped into Certified Hereford Beef (CHB)with a 50% hereford requirement up front! They CHB program is taking off in unprecidented speed because of this. So red is not such a bad thing anymore...
Some breeders will even try to attribute this to blacks don't work as well when the sun comes up! Those blacks, due to their color, will find shade before getting the job done! (they also cost more to buy) The terminal crossses that can be done with herefords and other breeds, and the F1's that can be produced have helped put color back in the market..not to mention the trusted white face.
The buckskins, and Charolaise crosses are a result of cow/calf operations and stockers getting more pounds in the sale barn... carcass quality is not what that segment is concerned with. They want frame and muscle. In fact it drove the feed lots crazy for a while, because they were having to finish big framed animals. Taking them to 1.500 lbs to finish them before slaughter was killing them in time and money. Not to mention they didn't always grade out! Of course the BW's of some of these monsters calves, and their temperments in the field has slowed their use as much as the feed lots saying "no" to much of the Brahman influenced cattle, and some Continentals. Other pure bred breeders needed an edge in the market. Thus the Gerts 5 Star program, and then Nolan Ryan's new push (I believe for Bos Indicus influenced cattle) is born...
. Of course we coincidently see more emphasis on carcass quality in all breeds to get their edge of the market. (hopefully limos will get some fat in that carcass with time..but it will probably be when people want lean beef..
) All in all, new cuts of beef, pre packaged beef and so on has allowed lower grading carcasses (mixed cattle of different color) to be utilized without so much deduction anymore, so it's not "always" black that steals the market now. It's just residual effects of years of buying black....
Whew...I'm getting tired.
Some of this is fact. Alot of it is opinion, but what's funny is that if you follow the livestock papers, the purebred breeders focuses, livestock seminars, and so on, then watch; you will see it reflect very quickly in the buying at the sale barn and the bulls in use in the field!