A decline in marbling quality is being linked to feedlot practices such as the increased use of distillers grain.
A recent report from the Certified Angus Beef program in the United States attempted to analyze a perceived decline in beef quality in which large price premiums could be lost for meat that does not contain sufficient intramuscular fat traces.
Written by Larry Corah and Mark McCully, the analysis paper targeted several changing practices, including larger feedlots, use of growth hormone implants, more disease and changing feed.
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The study says that in 1986, nearly 97 percent of all federally graded cattle in the U.S. achieved the top grades of Choice or Prime. By 2005 it had declined to 60 percent.
While some changes have been made to the grading system, the report said that does not account for the decline.
The Certified Angus Beef program requires average Choice or higher marbling. The percentage of Angus type cattle accepted into the program has dropped in recent years.
As well, a wider spread is occurring between what buyers pay for Choice and Select cut-out values. Twenty years ago, the spread was $3-$4 US per hundredweight but today is about $10. That could add up to $150 to $200 per head, making quality an important economic factor in profitability.
Corah and McCully attribute the problems to a range of factors.
- More health problems are occurring in fed cattle. Calves that must be treated more than twice for diseases such as bovine respiratory disease do not grade as well.
Feedlot deaths are also on the rise.
Part of this is attributed to feeding younger cattle. The authors also believe larger feedlots may compromise calf health management.
- The authors concluded that delaying implants by 30 to 50 days after cattle enter a feedlot can improve marbling. As well, they said the number of times implanting occurs should be reduced.
- The increased use of ethanol co-products is a new concern. Industry officials believe 80 percent of Nebraska feedlots are using distillers grain at a rate of more than 20 percent of the total ration.
Some studies suggest marbling decline is associated with the reduced level of starch available in the distilled products as compared to straight corn. Although animal performance is not reduced, the lower level of starch could affect marbling deposits.
A University of Nebraska study showed that feeding cattle steam-flaked corn along with 30 percent distillers’ product was detrimental to marbling deposition.
Creekstone Farms of Kansas, which competes with the Certified Angus beef program with its premium programs, has also noticed changes in carcass quality.
Creekstone’s Matt Brodie said the company is seeing more cattle with deeper external fat and less marbling. The excess back fat is waste, he added.
“We don’t have any real scientific evidence but distillers grain is definitely affecting it,” he said in an interview.
Distillers grain is a good, palatable product, but it needs to be managed. Creekstone works with feedlots and also buys cattle on the open market. It advises caution and prefers feeders use less than 25 percent on an as-fed basis.
“A lot of the cattle that have been on this are just coming out and we are just now seeing the results of that. It is a good feed and something we need to use, but we need to use it in moderation,” he said.
