Page 22 - MWC 9-15-2022s2

THE VALUE OF CHAROLAIS The Midwest Cattleman · September 15, 2022 · P22
continued from page 21

be when the Choice-Select spread is mini-
mal, said Mafi.
A more reliable approach to marketing
Charolais beef is working with an alliance
or qualifying for a certified program, rec-
ommended Mafi. There are programs that
utilize other colors, but a lot of packers only
pay premiums if the cattle qualify for the
Certified Angus Beef ® brand.
Because of this gap in the system, Mafi
encouraged the Charolais breed to negoti-
ate with established alliances to do a better
job of tracking, accepting and paying premi-
ums for carcasses that meet specifications.
“There’s so many certified programs,
every carcass has a place to fit in a program.
It’s just finding the right packer and pro-
gram to make those things work,” she said.
But, Dr. Mafi, if quality is so important
and such a driver, why is ground beef still
the No. 1 beef item in America?
She had an answer for that question, too!
“We do eat a lot of ground beef,” she ad-
mits. “I think it’s very important in our
market, but I think consumers continue to Gretchen Mafi is pictured second from the right.
demand high quality beef. They really enjoy
steak and different whole muscle cuts.”
We need to provide whole muscle, center-of-the-plate, high Value-Added Cuts
quality beef products that are affordable for all of our con- A potential area of increased marketability for Charolais
sumers, and that’s where value-added cuts enter the mar- beef is the emerging alternative cuts or value-added cuts
ketplace, said Mafi. movement.
In December 2017, the National Restaurant Association
released its “What’s Hot” for menu trends in 2018 list. Top-
ping the 20 item list was “new cuts of meat.” It listed shoul-
Na
Nance nce Col. Bill Nance der tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip steak and the Merlot
cut as hot, trendy beef cuts for the coming year.
“Beef is in demand,” stated Mafi.
Auction Service
Auction Service Affordable, tasty and portion controlled beef is also in de-
NanceAuctionService.com mand. As carcasses have increased in size, chefs and food
service professionals have had to get creative in order to
In God we trust! Philippians 4:13 keep beef center of the plate.
“There’s so many more people that are experimenting with
“No Matter How Big or Small, We Do Them ALL” cooking on their own, becoming foodies. A lot of the different
Whether you sell a dozen or a hundred head... ship-to-home meal kits are utilizing some of those cuts too.
Whatever breed you raise... There are a lot of differences in the culinary world, and I
Wherever you live... think [new cuts are] something different,” Mafi said.
The majority of the value-added cuts originate in the
chuck or round primals. A few are coming from different fab-
At every event, we deliver rication methods of the rib and loin, but we already have
the same excellent service strong demand for those cuts, she said. We can utilize these
that our sellers and buyers round and chuck cuts cheaper than the middle meats and
have come to expect create added value for the end primals.
For instance, three new cuts have been developed from
the whole beef shoulder clod: the top blade, the shoulder ten-
Scheduling Cattle Sales for Fall 2022 & Spring 2023 der and the shoulder arm roast. CattleFax estimates fabri-
Upcoming Balancer® Sale
Also Specializing in Nov. 5 - B/F Cattle Co., cating these three cuts from the clod adds between $50-$70
Farm Auctions Butler, MO per head.
Real Estate In some cases, bigger, heavier muscled carcasses can add
Liquidations even more value to these alternative cuts. In many instanc-
es, these cuts are nestled between other larger muscles, so it
takes some cutting work to get them out. The petite tender,
for example, is a small cut, so taking it from a heavy muscled
carcass vs. a light muscled carcass is going to add weight
and value to the cut, said Mafi.
As we continue to deal with more heavily muscled car-
casses, we’re going to see more new cuts and cutting styles
emerge, Mafi predicted.

Sheldon, MO * nanceauctionservice@yahoo.com * 417.214.0093