Cattlemen look to satisfy industry standards

Dr. Dan Hale, Extension meat specialist, details the packing process for participants at the Brazos Valley Cattleman's Clinic in Bryan on May 3. Hale said packers have worked hard to improve quality. -Staff photo by Briskin

May 9, 2002 -- For the 16th year the Texas Cooperative Extension Service Beef Committee hosted the Brazos Valley Cattleman's Clinic and Trade Show at the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission in Bryan on May 3. The event featured various speakers providing information on such topics as today's beef cattle market, U.S. beef quality standards and the beef packer system.

Dr. Ron Gill, Extension livestock specialist, stressed the need to come up with a set of quality standards for the entire beef industry. "The first thing I think we need to talk about is what are these standards? Are they written down anywhere?" he asked. "One reason it is not easy to come up with a single set of standards is because there are different standards for each segment of the industry. Feeders, packers and producers all have a little bit different standards."

According to Gill, from a production standpoint, "we are looking for cattle that are fertile and produce well, we want cows that produce every year and we are looking for efficiency." More than anything he stressed the importance of producing a safe product.

Gill stated that what the packers are looking for is a product that is safe, consistent and yields well. "The packers have customers they have to keep satisfied," he explained.

On the retail side, "they want the product to be safe more than anything," stated Gill. It does not fair well for a retail store to sell an unsafe product and according to Gill unsafe products are a huge public relations and financial burden on the beef industry.

Dr. Ron Gill, Extension livestock specialist, addresses the crowd at the Brazos Valley Cattleman's Clinic in Bryan on May 3. -Staff photo by Briskin

Gill went on to state that consumers are interested in safe, wholesome products. "Consumers are very sensitive to what is going on in this industry," said Gill. "They are looking for a dining experience that is free of blemishes, tastes good and is good for them."

He stressed the need for producers to be sure there is no residue in the beef what so ever. "You don't want chemical residue, antibiotic residue or any pathogens mixed in the meat," he said.

The Texas Beef Quality Assurance Program (BQA), according to Gill, is spreading across Texas educating producers on injection site management and limiting any type of residue in the muscle. "Everything you do has a potential to impact food safety," said Gill. "The BQA addresses this issue."

Gill discussed the need for giving injection in the proper location on the animal. "What we have to get away from is going in with an injection on the top butt," he said. "Never inject into the round either. I know this is done because it is easier than trying to get to the neck, but it is time we think about modifying our equipment so we can get to the neck."

According to Gill it does not take much to fix problems before they start. "It may take doing things just a little bit differently," he said.

Following Dr. Gill, Dr. Dan Hale, Extension meat specialist, detailed the process of running cattle through the beef packer system. He used the Excel plant in Plainview as an example. "At that particular plant, Excel slaughters about 4,200 head of cattle a day," he said. "This is a huge facility and I want to show you the quality standards they have implemented."

According to Hale, when the cattle arrive they are sorted according to value. "When the cattle arrive the truck they are on is evaluated as either animal friendly, where they are able to just walk off the truck without having to make any turns, or not animal friendly." he said. "The packers want to do away with the non-animal friendly trucks because of the potential carcass damage that may exist."

Packers are also starting to wash the animals when they arrive to help prevent contamination in the plant. "They are trying to knock as much mud off the cattle as possible," he explained. "The Excel plant has a whole host of steps that have been put into place to try and minimize bacterial contamination on the cattle."

The steps taken by the packer, according to Hale, are an important way to give the consumer confidence in the product they are producing. Just as it is important for the producer to establish procedures that maintain beef quality, packers must do the same according to Hale.