Quality of U.S. Beef Supply is Improving, Research Shows
Brief Summary of 2016 National Beef Quality Audit Results Shared at Cattle Industry Summer Meeting
Data from the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) suggests the beef industry continues to improve the quality of its products, but there is still room for improvement. Results from the research were presented at a session during the 2017 Cattle Industry Summer Meeting in Denver on July 13.
Download the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit Executive Summary here.
Among the positive findings in the 2016 NBQA are a significant increase in Choice and Prime carcasses, a high mobility score for cattle entering packing plants, and the fact that the number of blemishes, condemnations, and other attributes that impact animal value remain small. Among areas for improvement was that more bruising was evident (although bruising was less severe) and that more than 30% of livers harvested did not pass inspection and were condemned.
“The research proved the beef cattle industry has a great story to tell, but also suggests we aren’t getting that story to as many people as we should,” said Josh White, Executive Director of Producer Education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. “Utilizing the Beef Quality Assurance program and its principles more uniformly throughout the industry could not only enhance industry commitment to better beef, but would help increase consumer confidence and encourage greater beef demand. This research suggests that carrying the BQA message throughout the industry would benefit every beef audience.”
The NBQA, funded by the Beef Checkoff program, has been conducted every five years for the past quarter century, and provides a set of guideposts and measurements for cattle producers and others to help determine quality conformance of the U.S. beef supply. Results found through the NBQA have helped lead to improvements in cattle and beef production, including reductions in carcass blemishes and fewer lost opportunities related to branding and other practices.
Read more in-depth information about the results from the 2016 NBQA here [link to 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA): The Results Drive article].
The Beef Checkoff program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
