Page 13 - MWC 02-25-2021s

The Midwest Cattleman · February 25, 2021 · P13
Raising Freezer Beef: Meeting Customer Expectations

By Amanda Blair, Professor & SDSU Extension Meat Science Specialist
This information Quality Assurance guidelines. •Finishing Ration: The type
should be shared as •Animal Age: Older animals of finishing ration can also impact
appropriate without tend to produce tougher, darker palatability. While there is room
disparaging others colored meat that is less desir- for both grass- and grain-finished
who chose to use or able for whole muscle cuts such beef in the freezer beef market-
not use these tech- as steaks. While there can be a place it is important to understand
nologies. It is critical market for older animals for use and accurately represent your
A trend that has become more to follow the label in- in ground beef or processed meat product. In general, the typical
prominent in recent years is for structions on slaughter withdraw- products, it is not recommended U.S. beef consumer is accustomed
ranchers to finish a few animals al time for any health products to sell older cows or bulls as freez- to the flavor profile and palatabil-
and sell beef direct to the con- and it is recommended that cat- er beef for traditional steaks and ity attributes of grain-finished
sumer. Consumers have a desire tle producers adhere to the Beef roasts. continued on page 16
to know where their beef comes
from, value the story and are 12th Annual Southwest Iowa Gelbvieh
seeking ranchers to purchase beef
from. At the same time, ranchers & Balancer Bull & Female Sale
have been seeking opportunities
to add value to their cattle and Friday March 19, 2021 At 1:00 P.M.
reduce their exposure to market
swings. Creston Livestock Auction 201 N. Cherry, Creston, Iowa
However, feeding and manag-
ing a grain-finished animal is dif- Selling red and black yearling bulls.
ferent than managing a cowherd
or backgrounding calves. Prop-
er feeding and management are
key to capturing extra value and ultrasound tested.
meeting customer expectations.
This article will address meeting Heifers are also DNA tested for genetically
customer expectations for finish- enhanced EPD's.
ing out beef cattle.
If you are considering mar-
keting your animals directly to
consumers it is important to un-
derstand the inspection require-
ments for selling directly to con-
sumers. This article will focus
primarily on raising freezer beef
for sale as a whole, half, or quar-
ter.
Managing Expectations
A variety of factors may lead
consumers to purchase beef di-
rectly from a producer. They may
have an interest in purchasing
local, a desire to know the source
of their protein, or an interest in
a specific quality or credence at-
tribute. However, when purchas-
ing freezer beef most consumers
expect an eating experience that
would be as good or better than
buying beef from retail.
Consumers generally desire
flavorful, juicy, tender beef with
a bright cherry red color. To meet
this expectation, it is recommend-
ed to market beef that is healthy,
young (<30 months), and has been
on an appropriate finishing ra-
tion.
•Health: While it may be Catalog can be seen on the
tempting to try and capture value American Gelbvieh Association website.
from a sick or poor doing animal
by selling it as freezer beef it
should be noted that animals that For more information or to receive a catalog contact:
have been sick and treated multi- Gary Martens: 712-764-5007 | Mike Bauer: 712-304-4320
ple times can produce lower qual-
ity carcasses. Customers may also Carl Reiste: 515-490-3561 | Jim/ Ed McCreary: 641-464-3178
inquire about the use of antibiot- Joel/Linda Shumate: 515-360-3106 | Roy Holste: 712-303-1947
ics or growth promoting implants.