Oklahoma to host beef quality meetings

February 24, 2011

Quality beef production is on everyone’s mind today. Consumers want the best and most consistent beef for their money. Maybe that’s why strong exports and premium U.S. markets for upper Choice and Prime beef brands have helped lead cattle to record high prices.

A series of meetings in Oklahoma will help Sooner State ranchers capitalize on this premium market, according to a news release from Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB). Purina Land O’Lakes, Pfizer, Oklahoma State University (OSU) and the Oklahoma Angus Association will join in to present “Best Management Practices for Quality Beef Production” sessions in three locations.

Haines Land and Cattle, Lexington, Okla., will host the first event on April 5; the next day moves to the Kiamichi Technology Center in McAlester, Okla.; and the April 7 seminar is set for the Rogers County Building in Claremore, Okla. All meetings begin with registration at 8:45 a.m., include a Certified Angus Beef ^® lunch and adjourn at 2 p.m.

“This program is designed to aid cow-calf producers in the quest to build a resume for their cattle,” says Gary Fike, CAB beef cattle specialist. “They will discover how practices on the farm and ranch affect final beef product quality, and what that means to their wallets.”

Fike invites people to zero in on genetic selection of sires using expected progeny differences (EPDs), and find out how DNA tools are making EPDs more reliable earlier. There will be presentations on how body condition scores of cows in late gestation affect calf performance, and on health programs that ensure calves get off to the right start, too.

Speakers include CAB’s Larry Corah, Mark Johnson and Chris Richards with OSU, Kevin Milliner and Mike Nichols of Pfizer, and Steven Myers or N.T. Cosby of Purina Land O’Lakes. In addition, CAB-licensed Oklahoma cattle feeder Dale Moore, Cattlemen’s Choice Feedyard, will explain what he looks for when buying or partnering on cattle.

“Beef is the protein of choice among consumers,” Fike says. “They would rather eat beef, and the reason is because of the taste.” Noting that consumers are the only source of new dollars in the beef industry, he adds, “That’s why it’s important to keep the demand for beef strong by providing what they will be happy with.”

To attend one of the meetings, contact Marilyn Conley by calling 1-800-345-0801, extension 298, or email her at mconley@certifiedangusbeef.com by Monday, April 4. Please specify a location to allow better planning. For more program information, contact Gary Fike at 785-539-0123 or email gfike@certifiedangusbeef.com.

The CAB program, headquartered in Wooster, Ohio, was created in 1978 to add value to Angus cattle by providing consumers with consistently high-quality beef. Since then, licensed packers have paid producers more than $300 million in CAB premiums and sales now exceed 750 million pounds annually. The brand, owned by the 30,000 members of the American Angus Association, maintains a producer website at www.cabcattle.com.

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