Dear Pete,
The beef quality revolution is alive and well in the South, too! Genetics trump geography.
I have always enjoyed your column in the Journal. You call it like you see it, which makes it a “must-read” for me every week.
In your recent column (July 25, 2022), you mentioned that packers are struggling to get the quality mix they have been enjoying. You mentioned the quality challenge in the North wasn’t as difficult as it was in the South, and then you threw in a little jab by saying “imagine that.” I understand where you’re coming from with this little jab. Maybe it was just a nudge to get breeders in the South to focus more deliberately on quality. If so, OK. I accept that.
We just received carcass and tenderness data on a group of Brangus research steers that came from the South and were fed in Kansas. This group represented the most widely used sires in the Brangus registry, so the genetics are widespread in our gene pool. They graded over 90 percent Choice, with over half landing in the upper two-thirds of Choice. Texas Tech University did the tenderness testing and found that 3 percent qualified as “tender,” and 97 percent qualified as “very tender.”
With genetics, you get what you select for, not what you wish for. It is possible to produce high-quality beef from cattle that are bred to tolerate heat and insects. Being in the South is no excuse for missing the new, higher-quality targets in the beef industry. We are selecting for quality and maternal productivity and don’t intend to take our foot off the gas anytime soon.
Thanks for the nudge—but please acknowledge that southern cattle can keep up with the best cattle in the North if the genetics are right. It’s all about genetics, not geography.
Sincerely,
Darrell L. Wilkes, Ph.D., International Brangus Breeders Association executive vice president
