Trends in National Beef Quality Audit

The 2011 National Beef Quality Audit revealed several trends in the modern beef industry. According to Dr. Jeff Savell of Texas A&M AgriLife Reasearch, cattle with predominantly black hides increased from 45.1% to 61.1% since the 2000 audit. There has also been a continued expansion of branded beef programs (such as Certified Angus Beef) and a significant reduction in manure on hides, due to the industry's focus on cleanliness in order to reduce the threat of contaminants entering slaughter plants. Slaughter plants now average 6.4 branded beef programs each with increased sorting for age, source, specific harvest times and other brand-specific requirements.
We are also seeing an increase in carcass size, although yield grades are remaining about the same, with average carcass weights at 852.7 pounds for steers and 776 pounds for heifers. In addition,  slaughter plants are seeing 20% individual electronic identification, compared to 3.5% in 2005.
Animal welfare is another big concern for major restaurant chains and the entire beef industry. Many cattle handling operations have been evaluated and several have made changes to such things as chute gates and other potential causes of bruising. Dr. Savell said we have seen a 77% decline in bruised carcasses in 2011 showing a heightened awareness of, and attention to, cattle handling.
There are exciting changes happening in the beef industry today and most of them are positive. We can now produce more meat with less input and more attention to animal welfare. Consumers are becoming better informed of where and how their food is produced and they are more satisfied with how cattle are treated and raised. This all boils down to a much better bottom line for beef producers.