Montana Beef Quality Assurance Certification Course

• Tutorial Main
• Introduction
  • Education Team
  • Intro to BQA
  • BQA History / Nat. Audits
  • 2005 Nat. Audit
  • Top 10 Industry Goals
  • Defining Quality Beef / Cattle Care
• Regional Curriculum
• Record Keeping
  • Effective Record Keeping
  • Information Recorded
• Care & Handling
  • Producer Attitude
  • Animal Behavior
  • Facilities & Transportation
  • Nutrition
• Feed & Additives
  • Feed
  • Additives
  • Handling / Monitoring
• Animal Health
  • Vaccines
  • Injections
  • Needles
  • Implants
  • Parasite Control
  • Antimicrobials
• Processing
  • Vaccinations
  • Dehorning & Castration
  • Identification
  • Weaning
• Carcass Quality
  • Quality Grade
  • Yield Grade
  • Other Quality Issues
• Marketing
  • Source & Age Verificiation
  • Market Timing
  • Cow Marketing
  • Feeder Calf Grades
  • Shrink
• Breeding & Genetics
  • Uniformity & Consistency
  • EPDs
  • Crossbreeding
• Biosecurity Basics
  • Disease Control
  • Learning Tough Lessons
  • Attention to Zoonotics
  • Agroterrorism
• Certification Process
• MT BQA Directives
• BQA Code
• Certification Exam

Funded, in part, by beef and veal producers and importers through their $1-per-head check off through the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Breeding & Genetics

Uniformity and consistency of the final beef product remains one of the primary goals — and challenges — of the U.S. beef industry.

Diversity among cow–calf producers, feedlot operators and seedstock growers themselves is what enables them to reach a variety of markets under a variety of environmental conditions. But, this diversity becomes a major issue in the lack of uniformity that’s become our major concern. What must cattle producers do to improve the consistency within their herds? How will the industry as a whole deal with such issues?

As noted in the 2005 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) this lack of uniformity ripples through the entire industry. For cattle feeders, non–uniform calves have to be sorted by type and fed differently making the process inefficient and more costly.

Lack of uniformity remains the U.S. beef industry’s major concern. What must cattle producers do to improve the consistency within their herds? How will the industry as a whole deal with such issues?

The packer has to deal with carcasses that can vary by 500 lbs. or more — with quality and yield grades that run the entire spectrum. This causes the "disassembly" line to run inefficiently, as carcasses are fabricated and packaged differently.

The food service and retail industries then must deal with a certain amount of product that doesn’t meet their specs or end–use needs — or they must pay more money to supplies who sort through products that meet their needs, reduce waste and increase consumer satisfaction.

Finally, the consumer does not want beef–buying to be a crapshoot. The consumer — whether in the restaurant or at home wants beef that looks, cooks and eats the same every time — and is safe, healthy, nutritious — and comes at a reasonable value. Otherwise, with so many choices available, they can easily turn to other protein products that meets their needs and demands.

In 1978, the American Angus Association created Certified Angus Beef™ as a revolutionary step toward increasing consistency and quality of the end product — and to increase the demand for Angus genetics. The CBA model has been successfully adopted by dozens of beef programs. These programs manage production through varying degrees of control over quality and consistency standards within the supply chain.

However, the branded programs are challenged to find the right kind of cattle to meet their specifications. The key is for each individual producer to do whatever he or she can on their operation to produce animals that will yield uniform and consistent products from year to year — whether for "program" production or as they enter the global supply of "commodity" beef.

Five Steps to Consistency in the Cow Herd — By Dr.Bill Mies

First — Remove your very largest–framed cows and your smallest–framed cows to even up your herd with females that are more uniform. By doing this, you simply take the extreme ends off. You want to do the same with extreme–muscle cows and cows that don’t have enough muscle.

Second — Commercial producers should use one type of bull from one breed. Pick a bull, any bull, but a bull of one breed — and stick with him. Many producers commonly use two or three breeds of bulls on a given set of cows. These random matings produce very non–uniform calf crops.

Third — Producers should select the type of bull based on his EPDs, frame size and muscling. Try to use one type of one bull in your herd using visual indicators of frame size and muscling.

Fourth — Try to get the color of your calves uniform. Since perception and appearance sell most feeder cattle, it is important to have the calves colored as much alike as possible. And, if you set out to color them the same, inadvertently you make carcass quality more uniform.

Fifth — Producers should gather as much data as possible on calf performance in feedlots and the packing house. The ultimate decisions concerning consistency and uniformity can only be made with data. — Bill Mies, PhD

— Mies specializes in integrated beef production. For 20 years Mies has served as technical advisor to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Beef Quality Assurance Task Force.

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Copyright © 2006, Montana Beef Quality Assurance