The Future of Beef

[TEXANGRANCH]

As a kid we raised angus, still do. I saw a blind survey in the cattlemans that said that people preffer the taste of charolais to any other breed. I have never had char beef, and I know they arent the answer to make $$ in the beef industry, but what do yall people who have eaten charolais think about the taste? Is it better tasting than angus?

 

[MikeC]

As a kid we raised angus, still do. I saw a blind survey in the cattlemans that said that people preffer the taste of charolais to any other breed. I have never had char beef, and I know they arent the answer to make $$ in the beef industry, but what do yall people who have eaten charolais think about the taste? Is it better tasting than angus?

Never seen that survey but we eat Chars periodically and find it to be adequately flavored. Honestly, I can't tell any difference between Char and Angus.

I have never had char beef, and I know they arent the answer to make $$ in the beef industry,

That's a pretty bold statement from someone who has never eaten (or probably has never owned) Char beef.

I think I'll throw the "BS" flag on this one. ;-)

 

[Frankie]

And if you think that meat quality and/or flavor is that dependent on breed, you have a long way to go

So breed has no effect on the meat?

I wouldn't say 'breed has no effect' on the meat. But I do think you'll find variation within breeds. I know there are Angus cattle that don't marble. But there are Angus cattle that marble very well. That's probably true of most breeds.

 

[Frankie]

What happens when a consumer loyal to a brand finds out that the brand might not be what they were led to believe?

Depends on the consumer. We've been driving GM products for most of my life. I know they're not 100% made by GM. I know that some parts are outsourced. I know Whirlpool probably didn't make the refrigerator in my kitchen. As a consumer, I don't care. I know we've got good service from GM and Whirlpool so I'll continue to buy them. But some consumers might care and look for another brand. They'll have an tough job, though, if they're looking for a 100% American car.

If we could raise cattle like gm builds trucks I would believe your statement. You can take the parts from 100 gm pickups and you can not tell one part from the other 99. Make parts out of 100 steers of ANY breed and the parts will not be the same :shock: The loyalty is or should be to the product not the name.The case has to be made for more uniformaty. Watch todays hogs comeing off the end of the line and you will be amaised how uniform they are. There is no breed loyalty in the pork industry but they are loyal to genetics that it takes to produce the finished product.

My point is consumer loyalty to a brand, not that all Angus, Brangus, or Simmentals, are identical. The last survey I saw said the largest complaint consumers had about beef was lack of consistency. I take that to mean consistency in the size of a cut, taste, and tenderness. IMO, the more breeds you throw into a herd, the less uniformity you'll get in the end product. There are many people raising straightbred Angus cattle. They claim to be hitting the CAB standards at a much higher rate than generic black cattle. Laura's Lean Beef used to look for straightbred Limousin cattle because they hit that target best.

All those pigs are owned by a few big producers. They aren't grazed on pastures from North Dakota to Florida. There's a great deal of difference in the hog and cattle industry.

 

[mwj]

Frankie those hogs are not all owned by the big guys by any means! The thing they do is use the genetics of swine to do what they need to do. You do not find people pushing a ''breed'' to get the job done but insted use the genetics they want. Most mkt. hogs come from maternal and paternal lines that are composite breeding. I do not think you will find many branded pork brands for hamp or duroc :lol: They have learned that the money is made AFTER the hair comes off!

 

[purecountry]

Frankie those hogs are not all owned by the big guys by any means! The thing they do is use the genetics of swine to do what they need to do. You do not find people pushing a ''breed'' to get the job done but insted use the genetics they want. Most mkt. hogs come from maternal and paternal lines that are composite breeding. I do not think you will find many branded pork brands for hamp or duroc :lol: They have learned that the money is made AFTER the hair comes off!

Very well put! One of my best friends has been in the industrial hog business for most of his life, and says the same thing. Pork producers use the best swine genetics, not breeds. Many grass-fed pork producers are using older purebreds, like the Gloucestershire Old Spot, or Tamworths because they are still basically a grazing hog. But, in mainstream pork production, they have the genetics down to a true science. Don't know if I want to go that far with my cattle, but it's the point of going beyond breeds that peaks my interest.

 

[MikeC]

Pork producers use the best swine genetics, not BREEDS

Pig breeders are taking full advantage of heterosis.

A crossbreeding SYSTEM could help a lot of commercial cattle ranchers, if we weren't so PIGHEADED! :lol:

 

[purecountry]

Pork producers use the best swine genetics, not BREEDS

Pig breeders are taking full advantage of heterosis.

A crossbreeding SYSTEM could help a lot of commercial cattle ranchers, if we weren't so PIGHEADED! :lol:

That was so bad it's funny.

 

[andybob]

Part of considering a crossbreeding program should include a measure of co-operation, when I bred seedstock in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, I also produced F1 heifers under contract to a commercial producer, who in turn bought terminal bulls producing feedlot weaners out of easy care cows.
My Simmentaler breeder supplied the 'right' type of bull for my cross, and the buyer of my F1 heifers used high performance terminal bulls from his guarenteed source, everyone was a winner at each level of production.

 

[purecountry]

Great example of networking Andybob. That's what we're trying to do with our group of friends/associates, but it takes time. Lots of folks are too skeptical/independent to trust others enough to make something like that work, but it's a wonderful thing to see when it does click just right.