Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

Marbling might not be the top priority for Nathan Mass, but it’s in the starting lineup.

Mass, who runs a purebred Angus operation near Malvern, Iowa, in Mills County, says while carcass quality is important, it needs to balance with the other traits.

“We are seeing some seedstock producers going to single-trait production, but we are trying to stay balanced,” he said. “Carcass quality is definitely one of our priorities, along with structural soundness, maternal traits and other things the Angus breed is known for.”

Mass will calve 95 cows this spring. He keeps the top half of his bulls and a few heifers for a production sale he holds with fellow Angus producer Doug Steele. His top heifers are put back into the breeding herd.

The rest of his steers and heifers are placed in a local feedlot in conjunction with the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity, a co-op that allows producers to get back data on feedlot performance and carcass quality.

Mass, who serves on the futurity board, says producers from several states participate in the program.

“The program allows me to get the carcass data I need to make sure I’m selecting the right genetics in my herd,” he said. “It gives us a good idea of where to start from a carcass and daily gain standpoint.”

Mass also receives yield grade, ribeye and marbling data after cattle are processed. His goal is to have 10 percent to 15 percent of his cattle grade well enough to qualify for the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) program.

Finding cattle that qualify for CAB or other premium programs is always difficult, says Larry Corah, vice president of supply development for CAB. While the industry has a better understanding of marbling, he says there is still much to learn.

“It’s not as thoroughly an understood phenomena as we thought it was,” Corah said. “We are learning about cellular differentiation, why some cells become muscle cells and others become marbling cells. The full mechanism is not yet fully understood.”

Corah says genetic influence is a factor in marbling. Certain genetic lines within a breed are more predisposed to marbling, making them more suitable for programs such as CAB, he notes.

Environmental factors also play a role in marbling development, Corah adds.

“The problem is, we tend to ship cattle all over the United States. They could be born in Florida and end up in a feedlot in Colorado,” he said. “That’s a lot of stress on young cattle, and when you have that, you are going to have more health problems. That’s one of the biggest factors in reducing quality grade.”

Corah says the period between 4 and 8 months of age is key in marbling development for cattle.

The rush to pack on pounds quickly in the feedlot could affect yield grade, he says.

With the growth of the ethanol industry, Corah says co-products will be much more available for use in the feedlot.

“Up until now, we haven’t fed a high percentage, and we certainly have a lot to learn about how much we can safely feed cattle,” he said.

He says CAB markets a half-billion pounds of beef annually and could sell twice that amount if supply was there.

“We’re really in need of the product, but we need a predictable supply,” Corah said.

Mass says he doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary when it comes to caring for his cattle. All are on a standard health program, and calves stay out on grass until weaning.

“I’ll do some creep feeding around mid-summer,” he said. “We wean in September when calves are about 6 months of age. It’s a pretty standard program, but it seems to work.”

Since he started participating in the futurity carcass test, Mass says the quality of his herd is much improved.

“We’re about three times the size of where we were when I started in 1996, and we have seen some definite improvement,” he said. “It definitely gave us some goals to shoot for. We’ve been able to use the data we get on the carcasses and feedlot performance to make our operation better.”