What quality means to you

June 21, 2011

Last week, we teamed up with our friends at the Ohio Beef Council to host an Explore Beef Tour in southern Ohio.

It was such a pleasure to visit Pedro’s Angus in Hamilton, Ohio again. I first met Bill and Bev last spring to interview them for a story in the Angus Journal and learn about their journey from restauranteurs to ranchers.

Bill, Bev and myself led guests through an education on the scope of the beef industry, different segments of cattle production, daily life on the ranch and common misperceptions of agricultural practices.

We also had Dr. Henry Zerby of The Ohio State University on the speaking lineup. Dr. Zerby covered a variety of topics for our audience, including the science behind the role of beef in a healthy diet and the different beef options in the market place. All very important topics; also topics I am familiar with.

But I tell you what, my head snapped to attention when I heard this come out of Dr. Zerby”s mouth: “Quality might be the most bastardized word in our industry. Anything can be called ”quality,” but what does that mean?”

Hmmmm…. well, quality happens to be one of our favorite words here at Certified Angus Beef LLC. In fact, a quick search of our website at www.CABpartners.com shows nearly 500 results for that one little word… and that”s just the beginning of it.

 So is Dr. Zerby right? Have we used that word so much that it”s lost all significant meaning? Here”s how he defined quality in a product:

• Wholesomeness
• Healthfulness
• Convenience
• Palatability
• Entertainment/social status

He says that consumers determine quality by these standards:

• Perception
• Appearance
• Price
• Performance/satisfaction

So what does Certified Angus Beef mean when we talk about quality beef and quality cattle? Well,a lot of things,including those definitions outlined by Dr. Zerby.

We use the word quality because we focus on the fact that our product is based on the highest quality grading tiers established by the USDA. We use that word to describe what our ten carcass specifications were created to ensure — a consistently well-marbled, tender, juicy beef product. To us and our consumers, that’s quality.

But what about in the cattle business? What are “quality” cattle? Defining that is difficult for sure, but when our team talks about quality cattle, we’re talking about cattle that do it all. Cattle that perform in the cow herd, in the pasture, in the feedlot and on the rail. Cattle that excel in all traits of economic importance for cattlemen and exceed consumer eating experience expectations. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

I don’t think it is. If you think it is, check out some of the hyperlinks I’ve added in the paragraphs above. Those are some prime examples of cattlemen and women who focus on quality and give that word seriously valuable meaning.

But I’m still interested to hear — how do you define quality? What defines a quality beef eating experience to you? And what defines your cattle at the quality kind? You never know when you might be the next featured hyperlink to help us define quality!

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