Mythbuster Monday talks generics

Earlier I revealed that I’m not that trendy (I know, not a shock to anyone who’s seen me out and about), so “knockoff” designer sunglasses, clothes or purses don’t bother me in the least.

When it comes to other areas of my life I’m not that lenient—we’re pretty strong Ford supporters in this family, I can’t seem to find a detergent that does the job as well as Tide and don’t even get me started on the shortcomings of many generic brands in the grocery story aisle.

I think there’s a big parallel between how we feel about brands and how we feel about breeds. Think about those staunch supporters you know. No matter what, they’re going to run Angus, Hereford, Charolais, Simmental, etc.

We think your breed choice should be more about data and solid facts than tradition.

But relating to that “breeds vs. brands” comment, the real kicker is when people think “generic black” is as good as Angus. I could go into a whole series of myths related to that statement, but I’ve picked out the one we probably hear the most:

Myth—As long as they’re black,it doesn’t matter how much Angus-influence they have. They’ll grade just the same.

Fact—Study after study shows the more Angus influence,the better the quality.

And I’m not just talking about research we’ve done. Smart folks at universities across the country and hardcore scientists at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center have all come to the same conclusion: breed and sire within breed will have a major effect on quality grade.

This table from the highly-respected work at Iowa’s Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity about says it all:

There are few other proven ways to triple CAB acceptance than to simply increase the amount of Angus influence. Of course, there are other benefits, including improved performance and health—more Mondays, more myths to come!

In the meantime, if you want to assure quality in your herd, you might want to become one of those staunch breed supporters—only because it makes sense of course.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

~Miranda

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