Inside the Drovers September Issue
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Here’s what is inside the September issue:
Beef Quality Audits Celebrate 25 Years
Twenty-five years ago, the 1991 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) revealed beef was at a crossroads. Former American Hereford Association executive secretary Hop Dickinson described beef as, “Too big, too fat and too inconsistent.”
In order to remain a significant portion of the consumer’s diet, changes had to be made. Click through to read what the beef industry has learned from the NBQAs:
With the awakening from the 1991 audit, many producers saw opportunities and began an industrywide quality revolution that pulled beef back from the brink.
25 Years of Beef's Quality Challenges
Improvements to quality and consistency are why branded beef programs now account for 96% of all beef sold at retail.
“With online purchases, millennials are quickly changing how we are going to get food,” says Kari Underly, a master butcher in Chicago and owner of Range Partners a meat merchandising consultant.
Consumers Shift Attention to "Cultural Concerns"
Since the initiation of the BQA program and the national audits, animal handling has become a key component in the overall beef-quality conversation, Gill says. More people recognize the relationships between stress, immunity, antibiotic use, carcass traits and human safety.
Adapt Facilities, Equipment to Your Cattle
The industry trend toward larger, heavier weight cattle could drive the need for changes in the design of facilities and equipment.
Resources to Improve Your Operation
What to see how you can improve animal handling? Need training resources for your employees? Individual assessment tools, videos, events and more are available from the Beef Quality Assurance program. Find a full list of resources here.
Columns:
Front Gate
Greg Henderson: A Call for Transparency
New Generation
Jared Wareham: Seedstock Producers: Don’t Bypass the Basics of Marketing
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