Beef Tenderness Continues to Improve, New Survey Results Show 

Tenderness is a critical component of beef's palatability or taste and it helps drive consumer enjoyment and demand for beef. With funding from The Beef Checkoff, the industry has been tracking beef tenderness for 20 years through the National Beef Tenderness Survey. The original 1990 Survey revealed tenderness problems with cuts from the top sirloin, round and chuck, and identified a need for longer and more consistent beef aging. The 1999 Survey revealed a 20% increase in tenderness as compared to 1990 with improvements attributed to fewer no-roll steaks (steaks without a grade designation) sampled, an increased availability of steaks grading Choice and Prime, and adoption of more gradual chilling procedures and longer aging periods. Despite noticeable improvements, tenderness issues still existed in 1999. Results of the 2005/2006 Survey showed an 18% overall increase in tenderness as compared to 1999. This increase resulted in overall beef tenderness levels that were at an all-time high.

In 2010/2011, The Beef Checkoff commissioned the fourth National Beef Tenderness Survey to quantify the status of tenderness as compared to previous Surveys. Researchers at Texas A&M University led the effort with collaborative support from Texas Tech University, California Polytechnic State University, the University of Florida, the University of Missouri, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University and Penn State University. Twelve U.S. cities were selected for sampling and each city was sampled once between March 2010 and February 2011. In each city, two to three retail chains, representing at least one-third of the total-area-market share, were sampled for product in four stores per chain. Therefore, a total of eight to 12 supermarket stores per metropolitan area were sampled. In addition, if a membership-based retail store existed in a city and was not included in the one-third market share, one store of the membership-based chain representing the largest market share was sampled.

From the retail stores surveyed, researchers selected Top Blade Steak; Ribeye Steak, lip on, boneless; Ribeye Steak, lip on, bone-in; Top Loin Steak, boneless; Top Loin Steak, bone-in; T-Bone Steak; Porterhouse Steak; Top Sirloin Steak, boneless, cap off; Top Round Steak; and Bottom Round Steak. In a random assignment, steaks were shipped to one of the collaborating universities to be evaluated by a consumer panel or tested by Warner-Bratzler shear force. 

Click here to read more about the continuing improvements in beef tenderness. 

Peel Says Lots of Turbulence and Mixed Signals Roil Cattle Markets 

Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University's extension livestock marketing specialist, says there have been a few surprises in the cattle markets recently, with an imbalance in supply and demand factors needing to find an equilibrium.

Cattle and beef markets have dropped significantly in the last month led by sharp declines in boxed beef prices and Live and Feeder Futures. Cash fed cattle prices have traded erratically lower from highs of $130/cwt. in early March to $122/cwt. last week. Feeder cattle markets have also dropped from recent peaks but, not surprisingly, have seen the least impact and among those the least of all in the lightweight calves and stockers.

The problem seems to lie with demand rather than supply. Cattle slaughter continues well below year ago levels and, despite higher carcass weights, total beef production has been down slightly over the past four weeks. The demand picture, however, is clouded by mixed signals. Primal rib and loin prices, though down in recent weeks, are still above year ago levels. However, Choice boxed beef has dropped below year ago levels in the past two weeks. Certainly, the continuing controversy regarding lean finely textured beef is adding to the turbulence and the current weakness. Decreased value of 50 percent trimmings has decreased carcass values about $40/head, making already negative packer margins that much worse. There is also considerable scrambling in processed meat markets to adjust product flows in both beef and pork markets as a result. Higher gas prices may be one of the biggest factors affecting beef demand currently. 

Click here to read more of Derrell Peel's analysis of the cattle markets. 

Meat Scientist Calls LFTB Entirely Wholesome and Safe

A huge amount of misinformation has been getting around, about an additive to ground beef that the media has inaccurately labeled as "pink slime". A Kansas State University meat scientist says that this is an entirely wholesome and safe product which is being badly misrepresented. John Gonzales is our guest today on our Beef Buzz as we discuss LFTB- what it really is and what it really is not.

According to Gonzales, "they take high fat product from trimmings on roasts and steaks and they cook it to about 100 degrees Farenheit, and then use a centrifuge- and through regular Physics, the heavy lean will go down to the bottom and the lighter fat will come to the top- and they are able to extract little pieces of lean meat from these high fat parts of the carcass." From there, they "convert it into a product that can be used for ground beef."

Gonzales says this LFTB is pure beef and is a very lean product- and it is mixed with more conventional beef trimmings to come up with the various mixes of ground beef, which is differentiated by the percent of lean meat versus fat.

You can hear his comments on the Beef Buzz- just click here to go there.  

FSA, USDA Remind Producers Important Program Enrollment Deadlines Approaching

The USDA and Oklahoma's FSA remind producers that a couple of key deadlines for program sign ups are approaching. The sign-up and re-enrollment deadline for the CRP program is Friday, April 13th. The DCP/ACRE program enrollment must be completed by June 1st.

Francie Tolle, executive director for the Oklahoma Farm Service Agency (FSA), reminds producers they should begin the process for the 2012 Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) and the 2012 Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) Program now.

"It is critical for producers to complete the enrollment process as soon as possible," said Tolle. "Producers must contact their county FSA office to set up appointments before the June 1, 2012 deadline."

More information on the DCP/ACRE sign-up is available by clicking here. 

Likewise, producers should be finalizing their applications for the CRP which closes this Friday. FSA Administrator Bruce Nelson says there has been strong interest in the program this year, and the application period was extended to accommodate.

Click here for more information on the CRP General Sign-Up 43.

Favorable Conditions Sustain Above Average Crop Progress

Favorable growing conditions this spring have resulted in crop progress that is significantly ahead of normal.

All small grains were rated mostly good. Wheat jointing reached 92 percent complete by Sunday, 12 points ahead of the five-year average. Forty-one percent of the Oklahoma wheat crop was heading by the end of the week, 35 points ahead of last year and the five-year average.

Overall, 50 percent of Oklahoma wheat is in good shape, 27 percent is excellent, 19 percent is listed as fair and only four percent is rated as being poor or very poor.

Canola blooming was virtually complete by week's end, 30 points ahead of last year's crop. Fifty-three percent of the crop was reported in good condition, 23 percent was excellent, 19 percent was listed as fair, and five percent was poor or very poor.

Kansas wheat conditions showed 52 percent was in good shape, 29 percent was rated fair, 13 percent was excellent and only six percent was listed as poor or very poor.

Texas wheat is still struggling with 31 percent listed in fair condition, 31 percent is in poor or very poor shape, and only nine percent is rated as excellent.

Click here for the full Oklahoma Crop Weather Update report. 

Boxed Beef and Finished Cattle Continued Their Downslide Last Week - Ed Czerwien Comments 

In this week's beef report, according to Ed Czerwien, USDA Market News Office in Amarillo, Texas, said we saw the choice cut market end the week of April 7 down once again. Choice ended the week at $177.91 cwt, down over $5.00 from the previous Friday. The total load volume was good but half of the 1,058 loads consisted of trimmings.

As far as the finished cattle trade last week, the trend was three to four dollars lower than the previous week with business in the Southern Plains mostly at the $121 to $122 cwt mark. Business was mostly $193 to $194 cwt in the meat.

The average live weight of the cattle harvest from the Texas Panhandle was 1,232 pounds, up 8 pounds from the previous week.


You can hear Czerwien's complete weekly report by clicking here. 

OSU Animal Science Alumni Association's Friday Night Gala Fundraiser Coming Up

The Oklahoma State University Animal Science Alumni Association is holding its annual Friday Night Gala to raise funds for ag students. The event will be held Friday, April 13, at 6 p.m. in the Wes Watkins International Building on the Stillwater campus.

The event will once again feature a great meal, lots of fellowship and both live and silent auctions in which about 80 items will be sold.

Some of the items on the block this year are: a Kubota RTV500 provided at cost by Arnett-Enid New Holland/Kubota, two $1,000 buying credits good toward the purchase of a bull or heifer at any Express Ranches sale (no expiration date), commission on 50 head of cattle at OKC West, flush and freezing of five embryos by Nelson Embryo Services.

To see more auction items and a contact number for the event, just click here. 

Last year- about $40,000 was raised for scholarships- and the hope is to match that level or go beyond in 2012- our thanks to our friend Brad Morgan for giving us this reminder of this great event coming on Friday evening.

BY THE WAY- if you have events we need to know about and need to share on our calendar page on OKlahomaFarmReport.Com- drop me an email and give me all the details- we'll be glad to get it included!!!  Just click here and email to ron@oklahomafarmreport.com.