Prosperity for any industry depends on consumer demand, a Western Kentucky University animal scientist points out. Of course, that includes the beef industry or cattle community. Nevil Speer, in a new white paper, “Consumers, Business and Breeding Systems: Charting the Beef Industry’s Path,” says the implications are clear. “All business decisions on the ranch, as everywhere along the beef supply chain, should be made with an eye on consumer demand for beef,” he says.
That was before this career that has taught me so much about the beef side of the cattle business. You see, similar to a good bourbon or fine blue cheese, beef benefits from a little age.
Winners of the 2013 Carcass Data Project (CDP) didn’t leave a lot of room for outliers. The top three contestants’ data in the Kansas Angus Association (KAA) annual contest were of exceptional quality and within 3 percentage points, at 89%, 88% and 86% Prime and Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand acceptance. Final standings were based on the top three calves from any owner, taking gain and CAB acceptance into account. With eight of John Wendling’s nine steers qualifying for the CAB brand, he edged out the competition and took home top honors with a $500 cash prize.
But there is one thing I DO know, and that is we have high calf prices (if you’re buying to put on feed) and we have high corn prices (if you’re buying corn to put in those cattle), and the feedlot sector has been sustaining some horrible losses during the last 15-18 months.
As a Certified Angus Beef® brand follower, you probably already know we don’t actually buy, sell or market any cattle. We also don’t buy or sell product.
The gap is widening between key indicators of demand for premium and commodity beef.
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