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Good Afternoon List Friends.
This is a snip/paste from the Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Industry eNewsletter from Meatingplace.com
It reports a press release from Cargill which says it has, "genetic
markings in cattle associated with desirable beef traits like
tenderness, which could be used to predict which animals deliver bett
er
beef."
Regards
Ross Gould, P.Ag. Retired
Calgary, Alberta
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Genetic test developed by Cargill could predict better beef traits
by Eric Hanson <mailto:ehanson@meatingplace.com> on 6/8/04 for
Meatingplace.com
Cargill Inc. said Monday that the company has discovered genetic
markings in cattle associated with desirable beef traits like
tenderness, which could be used to predict which animals deliver bett
er
beef.
Minneapolis-based Cargill hopes the technology, developed with Savage
,
Md.-based MetaMorphix Inc., will allow its feedlots to produce superi
or
cattle and beef by selectively screening cattle for desirable traits
like a steer's ability to produce marbling and convert feed.
"There's so much information we don't know until an animal gets to th
e
plant," Cargill spokesman Mark Klein told Meatingplace.com. "In the n
ext
18 months we will perfect the blood test kit and determine how it can
be
used in the feedlot."
Klein said the test could allow Cargill's Caprock feedlots to group
cattle economically with different feed rations depending on their
genetic predisposition. For example, steers likely to produce high
quality meat could be segregated and fattened more gradually, while
animals likely to produce lower quality meat could be fattened more
quickly and on less expensive feeds.
Klein said the technology could later be used by ranchers to evaluate
their livestock and breeding programs, allowing them to make decision
s
on culling, breeding and adding stock.
In the future, such genetic testing could expand the system of a ranc
her
retaining partial or full ownership of an animal through the feedlot
and
receiving payment based on the added value of the quality of individu
al
animals, Klein said.
Researchers compared genetic markers from more than 3,000 cattle agai
nst
a variety of beef traits. The study involved more than 14 million
genetic tests.
The cost of testing animals hasn't been determined, but Klein believe
s
the technology will help make beef more consistent.
"At the end of the day, there are bigger supply and demand fundamenta
ls
[besides cost per pound] that inform pricing," Klein said. "Anything
that helps the demand side will be good."
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