Update keeps beef success going

March 10, 2011

You could read your way to more profitable, high-quality beef production. A new 40-page edition from the Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB^®) brand shows how and why to increase the supply of cattle that qualify.

In February, CAB began distributing a second edition of its full-color, in-depth special report called “Supplying the Brand,” first released four years ago. Distributed to registered and commercial Angus producers, feedlots, allied industry partners and educators, it explains the finer points on the production side of the brand, says Mark McCully, CAB assistant vice president.

Demand was brisk for the 2006 first edition printing, when 50,000 copies filled requests in single envelopes and boxes of hundreds. In the following six months there were more than 200,000 downloads of pages from the web. The award-winning report simply explains how the CAB Program works with market forces to put more dollars in producer pockets

It still starts with high quality. “Marbling remains the most significant performance and carcass trait, even as prices shift,” McCully says. “That’s why we must learn how to keep managing cattle to make the most of their marbling potential.”          

The updated magazine explains how the long-term focus on marbling is paying off at every link from ranch to plate. The CAB brand has become a destination product for consumers: they seek out restaurants and retail stores where they can buy that brand. In a similar way, some ranches and feedlots have become repeat destinations for cattle buyers looking to find the kind that perform and grade.

Consumer preference lays out the challenge to keep producing high-quality beef, because that’s what they want. As noted in “Supplying the Brand,” when asked to visually identify the desirable amount of marbling in a steak, nearly 70% favored premium Choice or higher – the same levels required for CAB brand acceptance.

Producers have responded to keep a good thing going. Rather than reverting to the late quarter-century downward spiral in demand when it came to pleasing consumers, they improved quality. It had to do with feeding conditions, cowherd culling and better tools to apply better Angus genetics, but production of high-quality beef started trending upward in 2007, McCully says.

And when it comes to profitable quality, CAB is holding the bullseye as “the brand that pays,” just using market forces. The report explains nobody enrolls or pays dues or feeds a certain ration to qualify for the program, but everyone raising Angus-influence cattle can shoot for the target as market signals warrant. CAB does not get involved in buying, selling or owning cattle or beef – it simply builds demand. Since 1996, packers have paid producers more than $300 million in premiums for cattle that have met brand requirements.

“From the growing success of the brand to the trickle-down economics that maintain a nice flow of consumer cash back to the ranch, this updated report is based on more than theory,” McCully explains. “It includes commentary from producers successfully and profitably targeting the high-quality end product.”

The full-color magazine details those challenges and opportunities. To request printed copies, visit www.cabcattle.com, call Marilyn Conley, 800-225-2333 ext. 298, or email mconley@certifiedangusbeef.com.

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