100% or better

Though few and far between, there are still places in our great country where cell phone service can’t be found and you need an old-fashioned paper map to find your way. My GPS stopped working hours before I made it to Jordan Valley, Oregon, a secluded town on the Oregon-Idaho border.

In the parking lot of the Jordan Valley Post Office (one of the few buildings in town) I shook hands with Carlin, the youngest son of the seven grown children of David and Ann Rutan. After a quick introduction, we both hopped back into our vehicles and he led through more winding turns until we reached the gates of Morgan Ranches in South Mountain, Idaho, the purpose of my visit.

At first, I almost felt like I had stepped back in time. It was quiet, breathtakingly beautiful and even though it was the middle of summer, there was still a light snow dusting that covered the mountain top. However, as David and Ann began to talk about their cattle, I knew we were definitely in the 21st Century.

When the Rutans say they want to raise the best Angus cattle they can, it is no joke. Their commercial Angus cattle qualify for more than five different premium-type programs. Upon sale date their cattle can be marketed as AngusSource verified, non-hormone treated cattle (NHTC), raised according to level four Global Animal Partnership (GAP) standards and have a Premium Nutrition Network endorsement. The premiums are stacked, which allows the beef they produce to be marketed under almost any specifications from Whole Foods to the Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB^®) brand.

Of course, you don’t need all those other programs to make the CAB brand, but you do need cattle that make the grade. For the Rutans, that doesn’t seem to be a problem. David puts high expectations on his herd, including carcass data sheets that come back with 100% Choice or better. In 2009, when Beef Marketing Group in Colby, Kansas, called to tell him his cattle graded 72.5% CAB, he was disappointed. Until he learned that 13% made Prime.

And the rest of the cattle that made up those loads? They graded Choice and met David’s requirement for 100% or better.

As I sat with the couple at their kitchen table and rode around their ranch, I learned that this expectation of excellence wasn’t just a reoccurring theme. For this couple, it’s a way of life. From their bull selection criteria to the stories of raising their seven children (now enjoying 11 grandchildren!), to the way they refused to let me leave without taking me back into town and treating me to lunch, I could see going “above and beyond” is their everyday.

Recently, CAB celebrated its partners selling more than 1 billion pounds across the globe. As I drove away from Jordan Valley, I realized the progress we’ve seen in our industry and this brand is only possible because producers like the Rutans who give and expect 100% or better.

Until next time,

Nicole

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