Love this Kaz, please do more of these! It is an important topic...I do imagine it will be a very difficult task to get a grading system that makes everyone happy if we try to make a new one post-Brexit. For example if you base more on eating quality and marbling then you may well also improve public perception of farming by producing a better average product, but you will also favour the feedlot type systems and fast maturing breeds which will disadvantage others. I wonder what your vision would be?
Bad craic to not have an alternative to the system you’re slagging off isn’t it 😬 what if everyone ended up with Wagyu...
My very broad brush stroke I guess would be - balance? Carcase conf/size, fat cover, IMF, shear quality, one for the meat industry bods. And then incorporate aspects of production? So hard to regulate though, look at how unpopular red tractor is..
Really interesting Kaz especially from a vet’s perspective. It is all definitely about incentive and an additional one is the “weight pays” driver. A continental calf can be so much heavier at weaning than my Angus calves and then grow on in the shed (especially as lib systems). It’s another “top line” driver that drives behaviour and decision making. We have developed a production culture where peers judge you in size (😳), weights and name in paper rather than a profit culture. And I feel this is totally logical given the incentives in front of farmers but you hit the nail in the head about unintended consequences.
Thanks for the feedback Michael! That’s another area where it gets a bit murky - growth vs conformation. And then I have to be honest with myself - how many calves are limited by their environment rather than their genetics? I’m not clear on that yet...
I’ve been listening to too many cowboy podcasts recently and some of those lads reckon feed efficiency selects for tall framey cattle which can be hard to maintain/finish because muscle/bone is a less metabolically expensive tissue to grow per kilo.
I find it tricky to get tone right in the written word as well. I think a lot of clients are really (and rightfully) proud to be ‘producers’. I’m certainly wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m not behind raising beef - just that from where I’m standing some of the decisions we make might be counterproductive?
The proportion of food/weight increases with beast weight. Smaller cows 2 to 2.5 % dam/d larger 3 to 3.5% . Bigger is costlier.
Then there’s actual beef eating quality. Double muscled beef is lousy eating.
Great article. Speaking as a Vet & breeder of Hereford cattle, I agree 110%!
Thanks Graham. The perverse thing is that I really enjoy a rodeo of a calving 🤠
Love this Kaz, please do more of these! It is an important topic...I do imagine it will be a very difficult task to get a grading system that makes everyone happy if we try to make a new one post-Brexit. For example if you base more on eating quality and marbling then you may well also improve public perception of farming by producing a better average product, but you will also favour the feedlot type systems and fast maturing breeds which will disadvantage others. I wonder what your vision would be?
Bad craic to not have an alternative to the system you’re slagging off isn’t it 😬 what if everyone ended up with Wagyu...
My very broad brush stroke I guess would be - balance? Carcase conf/size, fat cover, IMF, shear quality, one for the meat industry bods. And then incorporate aspects of production? So hard to regulate though, look at how unpopular red tractor is..
Does that answer your question Sam? 😂
Red tractor unpopular? All our farmers love filling in their paperwork 😂 but how do they do it in NZ? Is it any better?
Really interesting Kaz especially from a vet’s perspective. It is all definitely about incentive and an additional one is the “weight pays” driver. A continental calf can be so much heavier at weaning than my Angus calves and then grow on in the shed (especially as lib systems). It’s another “top line” driver that drives behaviour and decision making. We have developed a production culture where peers judge you in size (😳), weights and name in paper rather than a profit culture. And I feel this is totally logical given the incentives in front of farmers but you hit the nail in the head about unintended consequences.
Thanks for the feedback Michael! That’s another area where it gets a bit murky - growth vs conformation. And then I have to be honest with myself - how many calves are limited by their environment rather than their genetics? I’m not clear on that yet...
I’ve been listening to too many cowboy podcasts recently and some of those lads reckon feed efficiency selects for tall framey cattle which can be hard to maintain/finish because muscle/bone is a less metabolically expensive tissue to grow per kilo.
I find it tricky to get tone right in the written word as well. I think a lot of clients are really (and rightfully) proud to be ‘producers’. I’m certainly wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m not behind raising beef - just that from where I’m standing some of the decisions we make might be counterproductive?
K