News Update
March 6, 2014
Larry Corah’s ‘Did You Know?’ Column Says Premium Grinds Are a Cut Above
Is ground beef the favorite American meat today? Well, many would say so, and a recent white paper suggested it could amount to 55%-60% of all foodservice and retail beef sales. Ground beef offers great taste and cooking flexibility in tacos, spaghetti sauce, casseroles, meatballs or burgers. While its cost has risen greatly in recent years, it still offers a price point competitive with pork and poultry.
However, there is a lot about ground-beef sales that you probably did not know. In the past five years, new companies like Five Guys and Smashburger have created a whole new category (premium grinds) that now competes with fast food restaurants and white-tablecloth restaurants for the away-from-home diner. Their ground beef often comes from Prime or Premium Choice carcasses, prepared in ways so different from fast food restaurants as to create a whole new dining experience.
That has changed the price point for this grind category. Low Choice and Select grinds sell at the same price, but premium grinds have sold for 10¢ to 23¢ per pound (lb.) more. For a brand such as Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) that sells 50 lb. per carcass as premium grinds, it adds up to a $12 premium to each qualified CAB carcass. In the ground beef world, that’s a huge economic impact.
The other part of ground beef sales you likely did not know is how grinding companies are starting to create blends that might include a percentage of ground brisket with ground chuck, ground sirloin and ground round. That’s because grinds from various regions of the carcass have a varying taste profile, creating the ultimate gourmet burger, unmatched for flavor.
For more information, please view the full release here.
USDA Announces 2014 Farm Bill Stakeholder Meeting Dates
The USDA announced March 5 a series of meetings to share information with stakeholders about the 2014 Farm Bill implementation process, including multiple dates in March.
Sessions will be in Room 107-A, Whitten Building, unless otherwise noted. Mission areas and agencies will provide additional details to stakeholders as they become available. For more information, contact Jennifer Yezak or Sarah Scanlon, USDA Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs, at 202-720-6643, or Jennifer.Yezak@osec.usda.gov or Sarah.Scanlon@osec.usda.gov.
The president’s 2015 USDA budget proposal, released yesterday, builds on the new tools available through the 2014 Farm Bill to achieve reform and results for the American taxpayer; foster opportunity for the men and women living, working and raising families in rural America; and support innovation through strategic, future-focused investments. Together, they will help to create jobs and drive long-term, sustainable economic growth in rural America, while equipping our farmers and ranchers with the tools they need to survive and thrive. Visit www.usda.gov/farmbill for more information about USDA’s Farm Bill implementation plan
For more information, please view the full release here.
Lone Star Healthy Streams Workshop Set
for March 24 in Gatesville
A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop is planned for March 24 at the Gatesville Civic Center, 301 Complex Circle in Gatesville, Texas.
The Lone Star Healthy Streams program aims to educate Texas livestock producers and land managers on how to best protect Texas waterways from bacterial contributions associated with livestock production and feral hogs, said Jennifer Peterson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist in College Station.
The workshop will begin at 2 p.m. and will end by 6:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend and a meal will be provided at the end of the program. Three general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education credits will be provided for certified pesticide applicators.
Currently, about 300 Texas water bodies do not comply with state water quality standards established for E. coli bacteria, Peterson said. By participating in this workshop, livestock producers and landowners can learn about specific conservation practices they can use to help improve and protect the quality of Texas’ water bodies.
Workshop presentations will focus on issues within the Leon River Watershed, she said. Topics to be discussed include basic watershed function, water quality and specific best management practices that can be implemented to help minimize bacterial contamination from beef cattle, horses and feral hogs. There also will be a feral-hog-trapping demonstration.
The Lone Star Healthy Streams program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Preregistration is requested by March 21. To RSVP, go to http://lshs.tamu.edu/workshops/ or contact Mike Marshall, AgriLife Extension associate in Gatesville, at 512-461-6217 or mmarshall@ag.tamu.edu .
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
John Sharp to Headline Panel Discussion
on Rural Affairs at Cattle Raisers Convention
An expert panel will discuss the changing state of rural affairs at the Opening General Session of the 137th annual Cattle Raisers Convention in San Antonio. The session is slated for Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m. at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.
John Sharp, chancellor, Texas A&M University System; James Dodson, chairman, Farm Credit Bank of Texas; and Robert Puente, president and CEO, San Antonio Water System, will serve as panelists.
The panel will be moderated by Gretchen Hamel, president of the political consulting firm Highline Strategies and a Fox News contributor. The panel will focus on key issues that directly impact the lives and businesses of ranchers and landowners.
“There are so many factors in today’s economic and political climate that affect rural Texas,” said Pete Bonds, rancher and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) president.
“Water demands, energy development, a growing population, changing financial and economic pressures, and the continued loss of rural representation are just a few issues that have caused ranchers and landowners to take a hard look at our future. It’s important for us to know how to navigate all the challenges.”
The 137th Cattle Raisers Convention is April 4-6. Highlights of the convention include the Cattle Raisers Expo, a private property rights town hall, and educational sessions focused on a number of issues critical to the Texas cattle industry. For more information visit www.tscra.org/convention.
A complete schedule can be found on the TSCRA convention website. TSCRA will continue to update the schedule with additional events.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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