To Be Considered for the Certified Angus Beef Program

Past Mark McCully, Certified Angus Beef LLC vice president, supply

"Cattle have to be 51% black." "Is it the pilus or the hide or both?" "Information technology'south the average of a pen, so if more than than half of them are black, the whole pen qualifies." "What if a few are Holstein – just add up the spots and come across if you lot get to more than than 51%? If they have enough black, they're in."

We've probably heard them all—stories most what information technology takes to authorize for an Angus make. Some of the one-time myths resurfaced with recent toll volatility in the fed Holstein market.

Angus brands dominate the beef market today with two-thirds of more than 140 USDA-certified brands, but where did it all start and what does it actually take to authorize?

What'due south an Angus?

Most producers know the original is the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) make, which has worked collaboratively with USDA since the belatedly 1970s. The first order of concern was finding a practical way to identify cattle of Angus influence, otherwise known as Angus type.

Knowing Angus crosses could include a white face, underline or another white markings, "predominantly solid blackness" was agreed upon. USDA required a more objective measure for application in the field, and then "51% or greater" was added as a further definition for "predominantly." That offset specification was called the GL1 (Government Live 1), used only for CAB.

Initially and until 1994, dairy blazon and bos indicus influence were evaluated equally office of the live animal specification, according to Larry Meadows, USDA acquaintance deputy administrator. However, that was always practical post-harvest, per animal, as hides were removed. Live cattle in pens were never evaluated for Angus brands.

In 1994, as dairy and bos indicus calls moved to carcass specifications, GL1 was based solely on "predominantly solid black."

CAB was growing chop-chop past 1996. Being asked to certify other Angus brands, USDA used GL1 for the template to create Government Live Angus (GLA) as the phenotypic standard for all Angus certified programs. G1 nevertheless refers to CAB carcass specifications; many others have come up and gone to get in at today'south 83 G-Schedules for 146 programs that include 97 Angus.

Regime graders make the call

It may sound simple, merely identification of Angus-type cattle at harvest takes specially-trained constitute employees with oversight by USDA graders. The authorities graders used to move back and forward on the line to physically monitor the GLA application.

To enhance food safety—and that for employees—today'south plants are outfitted with video cameras by which USDA graders monitor the A-stamp application from the grading office. The graders have ultimate authority and will suspend certification programs if non-compliance is found in the GLA application.

That involves stopping the lines and huge economic losses going frontward, not a run a risk whatsoever packer takes on.

When a harvested beast is identified as Angus-type, an A stamp is practical to the round, or another mark such every bit ink on the hocks. The grading stand later considers each carcass marked to determine if each is eligible to evaluate for an Angus program, from G1 on up.

While the CAB brand has stringent quality standards that favor high-pct Angus cattle, there's a wide spectrum of quality under Angus brands, from CAB Prime downward to other Angus that is No Roll and Commercial.

No grids have an "Angus premium." CAB is by far the quality leader that returns more than $1 million each week in grid premiums. No other Angus brand creates that kind of economic incentive for cattlemen.

Still, misperceptions persist at every stage of the beef supply chain from ranch to rails and across. The 51% figure has long been misquoted or noted in dismissal.

The goal was never to create a definition effectually a specific percentage of Angus heritage. The producers who dreamed of starting CAB knew that wasn't practical, nor did information technology do anything to guarantee a ameliorate eating feel.

Predominantly solid black was and is a practical solution for our complex supply chains. It practically identifies those cattle of Angus influence but doesn't add unnecessary cost or burden to producers trying to add together value to their cattle. That approach has immune for a more inclusive and scalable program.

In reality, only a tiny fraction of cattle identified every bit Angus-blazon today are not solid black, black baldies or brockle-faced. A 2017 survey of nearly 180,000 feedlot cattle in the Plains showed more than 99% that could be considered for Angus programs had more than 75% solid black hides.

The fanciful idea that adding upwardly the spots may allow Holsteins to authorize resurfaced after last winter's marketplace setback. Reduced need for fed Holsteins stemmed from a major retailer excluding Holstein beef from its orders, completely unrelated to their continuing exclusion from Angus programs. Dairy-influence cattle have always been removed from CAB.

In the first place, well-nigh fed Holsteins come to packing institute in lots, not comingled with beef-type cattle. Those trained to apply the GLA stamp know to put it away for such lots. In the few mixed lots, the GLA requirement of "solid black hide" disallows adding up the spots. What's more, the CAB make has a beefiness-blazon muscling specification amid its 10 that further safeguards against dairy-type cattle (Figure ane).

Reminding folks why our brand starts with the phenotypic screen for solid blackness hides won't end the idle talk, merely most people like to know what they're talking almost. So remember, it's not really the hide colour, simply continuously improving Angus genetics for more than than a decade that allowed for ten consecutive years of CAB brand record sales.

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Source: https://www.beefmagazine.com/beef-quality/what-makes-fed-cattle-qualify-certified-angus-beef