In keeping with the theme that May has been declared Beef Month in Oklahoma, I would like to point out some of the major factors that affect beef quality and profitability in our industry. We, as producers, have made great strides in recent years to ensure that the consuming public has a quality dining experience when choosing beef. There is still much work to be done.
Every producer plays a role, whether large or small, in contributing to that eating experience.
The frequencies of quality defects from the NBQA conducted in 1995 were compared to the results of the original NBQA conducted in 1991. Although fat is a major reason of lost value and should be a continued concern to the industry, it is generally agreed that dropping the identified values to zero is an unrealistic goal. Fat deposits identified in the 1995 NBQA included external fat, seam fat and the fat removed from beef trimmings to achieve a minimum of 80 percent lean in all trimmings. According to the latest NBQA, external fat in excess of inch and seam fat in excess of what would remain in closer-trimmed subprimals was estimated at 89.6 and 60.7 pounds per carcass, respectively. Obviously, a reduction in one or all of these amounts would result in greater efficiencies in the beef industry.