Since 1991, the NBQA has brought together a range of beef industry stakeholders to evaluate a set of guideposts to give a snapshot of the current state of the beef industry, according to the reports.
“This project has been done to capture what’s going on in the beef industry,” said Jeff Savell, vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s “Cattlemen to Cattlemen” show. “It’s been a wonderful way for researchers to get together and work with the beef industry and understand where things are headed that are positive, some things that may need to be improved, and really gives us a snapshot of what is going on.”
The reports were delayed due to COVID-19 and were collected “under extraordinary circumstances and stand apart from previous (and future) audits.”
Report findings
The reports found that compared to 2016, the biggest overall improvement was increased efficiency across the supply chain. Among the positive changes highlighted in the reports were image, transportation, mobility and defects.
Keith Belk, department head of the Department ofAnimal Sciences at Colorado State University and professor for the Center for Meat Safety and Quality, speaking on “Cattlemen to Cattlemen,” said food safety remains one of the most critical sectors of the industry and it’s part of the product that consumers are purchasing. Belk said food safety is “no longer separated into different buckets or categories” as the industry has in the past, and it’s a cultural change since the past audit.
Genetics, namely hide color, are attributed to the high-quality beef that consumers demand. Black-hided cattle increased to 62% versus 58% in 2016 and 45% in 2000. Holstein-hided color decreased to 12.3%, confirming the industry trend of beef sires being used on dairy cattle.
The reports found that no cattle were hauled more than 24 hours, nearly 93% of transportation service providers interviewed were familiar with the Beef Quality Assurance Transportation (BQAT) program and 91% are BQAT certified. However, 68.6% of all trailers with mixed-gender loads surveyed did not separate cows from bulls, leading to an increased risk of bruising and injury.
Bruising severity did decrease from 77%, with minimal bruising in 2016, to 63% in 2022, but the frequency was the highest at 52.3% since the audit began. The reports said the increased bruising should be addressed through facility or trailer design. Heat stress and other environmental factors caused increased bruising, dark cutters, heart issues and decreased mobility.
The reports noted an overall increase in the use of technology such as electronic identification tags and record-keeping tools, as there is a concern in the beef supply chain that animal disease could impact the industry.
Belk said most sectors of the industry recognize the need to be diligent about monitoring for diseases and the industry needing a robust traceability program.
Overall, the reports found improved quality with more carcasses scoring Prime or Choice and a decrease in Select grade. Additionally, there is an increase in carcass weight, fat thickness and grades.
Morgan Pfeiffer, assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Oklahoma State University, concluded on “Cattlemen to Cattlemen” that producers should commend themselves because the product they are putting out is what the consumer wants.
Savell reiterated what Pfeiffer said: The demand for high-quality beef is being met, indicating the industry is listening to market signals. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
