Board Commentary Knowing Beef Can Be as Important as Knowing Cattle

by Rob Hess, Area 7 Director

An aspect of the beef industry that cattle producers can overlook is knowledge of beef and the multitude of cuts that make beef such a versatile protein. What part of the animal does each cut come from? What is the approximate yield per animal? How can specific cuts be used? Knowledge of these topics has provided an advantage on our operation and will benefit anyone who considers direct marketing beef, or discusses beef with consumers or chefs. Cattle producers have a unique opportunity to be a part of beef promotion, not just beef production.

In our farm store we’re asked which cuts are lean or well-marbled, which are bone-in or bone-out, and what’s the best way to prepare certain cuts. These are questions you need to be prepared to answer, but first you may have to convince the consumer that beef is the right choice. You know your cattle and your ranch, you know the care you put into every animal, but are you comfortable discussing the benefits of consuming beef?

There are more than 36 different cuts designated as lean by the American Heart Association. That information alone may make a difference in whether or not some consumers choose beef. One 3-oz. serving of lean beef provides more than 10 essential nutrients including high-quality protein, iron, zinc and vitamins B12 and B6, all for about 150 calories. Does your customer know that?

When it comes to direct marketing, there’s several areas where increased knowledge of beef cuts can benefit producers. Knowing who your customer is and how you sell your beef will determine how important each variable is to your business. But one thing is for sure, when it comes to direct marketing beef, the burden is on you to market every part of the animal. This sounds obvious, but without the knowledge to properly represent your product, direct marketing an entire carcass is difficult.

Consumers want to eat more beef but are not confident in their preparation skills and fear they’ll ruin an expensive cut of meat, and some beef cuts will be too

Likewise, a large percentage of our business is through food service. When selling to restaurants or institutions, it is essential to accurately estimate the quantity of cuts you can supply and that it fits their expectations. It is also important to be able to suggest different uses for individual cuts or primals to restaurants. If you’re like me, you might be stuck with a bunch of round unless you suggest a braised beef taco!

There are a number of ways to in- crease your knowledge of beef, but a helpful resource is the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website (beefitswhatsfordinner.com). This website can not only help you think about how to market certain cuts but can also assist you in understanding cut profiles and give advice to consumers regarding cooking instructions and recipe suggestions.

Commentary: Knowing Beef Can Be as Important as Knowing Cattle expensive for them. With knowledge, you can direct them to less-expensive steak cuts like flat iron or ranch that also provide a great eating experience. Premium steak cuts are easy to sell, but it will be necessary to expand your customers’ knowledge and educate them on lesser known options. Every week we talk people through preparation methods and point them toward additional resources.

Another resource that has increased our knowledge and helped us better market our beef has been our state’s land grant university. Here in Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania State University offers a beef short course where we’ve learned how to assess steers on the rail, grade and breakdown a carcass, and price our product. This course really helped us better represent beef and increase credibility with our customers.

Lastly, having better knowledge of beef cuts can be the deciding factor in getting more animals processed. We know it can be difficult to get animals scheduled at a processor. If you do get a space, don’t create more work for your butcher. How you interact with the processor can be the cause of some of the bottlenecks processors have to cope with. One way to set yourself apart would be to submit cutting instructions yourself, if possible.

If your customers purchasing shares have no idea how much of each cut they can get, or even what part of the animal it comes from, it can be very time consuming for your butcher to relay that information. Facilitate this process by making sure your customers are educated and ready to make those decisions before contacting the butcher.

Give your butcher every reason to want to process more beef for you rather than another producer’s whose cattle take up more of their time! //

1A BD: 8-17-21

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