Press Releases

CAB Newswire

If you would like more information about the Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB) Program, want to obtain photographs or graphics, or would like to automatically receive news releases concerning the CAB Program, contact Steve Suther, industry information director.

Featured News Releases

July 2009

American Angus Auxiliary Offers Silver Anniversary Cookbook
- How you can obtain a copy of the National Junior Angus Association All American Cook-Off Contest Cookbook, "25 Years of Winners: A Collection of Recipes."

June 2009

Ranch homework for feedlot partnerships
- As a cowherd operator, you can produce a quality calf. The feedlot manager knows what it takes to finish that calf on feed so it can earn carcass premiums.

Black bonus
- Producers have always known their genetic and management choices affect the bottom line. Now a North Dakota State University (NDSU) study quantifies how much some of those decisions are worth.

Demand grows for Angus calves
- Calf prices have been up and down, but the Angus advantage keeps growing, even while supplies of Angus calves increased as a share of all cattle.

AngusSource cattle excel against regional averages
- A summary of AngusSource® fed cattle proves the program does more than just source-and-age verify.

Meat case math
- When cattlemen put an asking price on a bull or a load of calves, they set it as high as they can reasonably hope for a sale.

May 2009

The customer knows best
- Don't let the media tell you what your customers want. Ask them yourself.

Quality in the price equation
- Feeders bid on cattle by penciling out the highest price they can pay and still maintain a shot at profit. Packers need a certain number of cattle harvested through their plants, bought at a particular price, to stay afloat.

Behind the menu price
- Farm and ranch freezers are often full of home-raised beef, yet producer families still enjoy the classic steakhouse experience now and again.

April 2009

Winners named in AngusSource contest
- Unwavering, resolute, committed—pick one, because they're all accurate descriptions of winners in the first quarter AngusSource Carcass Challenge (ASCC).

Genetics and marbling in beef
- Texas scientist finds variation affects marbling, from research design to cattle type and management

March 2009

Colvin to "hang" in Saddle & Sirloin Gallery
- Only one honored stockman each year can win a spot in the hallowed hall of fame in Louisville, Ky.

Who's who in Angus excellence?
- Producer nominations wanted for national award

Commodity beef hit harder by economic downturn
- Quality shines in tough times

Today's beef consumer
- An industry that aims to be consumer driven must first identify its drivers. That's why "Defining Consumers - Emerging Expectations" was part of the Pfizer-sponsored Cattlemen's College at the winter National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) meeting in Phoenix, Ariz.

February 2009

Beef is "good calories"
- Red meat is often blamed for heart disease, obesity and a host of other diet-induced conditions.

Knight Feedlot becomes licensed CAB partner
- Central Kansas yard finds one more way to serve customers

Growth implant strategy outlined at animal science meetings
- Maximizing quality and efficiency calls for different implanting strategies on steers versus heifers.

January 2009

One sick calf = less profitable pen
- Low mortality isn't the only way to measure the success of your health program.

Setting them up for success
- It's all in the details at Will Feed, Inc.

Beef grading explained
- When USDA graders stamp carcasses they estimate the eating experience for consumers and provide report cards for producers.

AngusSource '08 contest
- The top groups in the 2008 AngusSource® Carcass Challenge (ASCC) "blew the doors off" average quality grades, says program director Sara Snider.

December 2008

Tight feeder supplies the issue in '09
- Cattle feeders' number one concern was feed inputs. Not any more, says Mike Sands, Informa Economics.

CAB sales up 8.8% to record 634 million pounds
- For the first time in 30 years, Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB) brand annual sales reached 634 million pounds

CAB sales up 8.8% to record 634 million pounds
- For the first time in 30 years, Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB) brand annual sales reached 634 million pounds

Feeding Quality Forum informs
- More than 150 cattle feeders and allied professionals gathered at the recent Feeding Quality Forums to broaden their horizons and discuss issues related to quality beef production.

November 2008

Survey details Angus influence
- A spring 2008 survey of U.S. producers with 200 or more beef cows confirmed the dominant influence of the Angus breed, but also showed regional variations in breed and trait emphasis.

October 2008

'Think Tank' looks at beef consumer priorities
- A beef industry group met in Denver, Colo., last month to find ways to better link producers to consumers.

AngusSource top cattle noted
- One group came from Nebraska, the other from Oklahoma. One rancher retained ownership, the other sold outright. But the two sets of cattle fed at separate feedlots in different states have a few shared qualities. They both took home first-place regional finishes in the third quarter of the AngusSource® Carcass Challenge.

CAB at 30
- The first pound of Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB) sold Oct. 18, 1978, at Renzetti's IGA, in Columbus, Ohio, under the leadership of its first executive director, Mick Colvin.

September 2008

Feeding Quality Forum registration now open
- Hot topics in the feeding industry will take center stage at the Feeding Quality Forums set for Nov. 11 in North Platte, Neb., and Nov. 13 in Amarillo, Texas.

Good as gold
- Chappell Feedlot excels in CAB 30.06 program

Beller wins 2008 CAB Quality Assurance award
- Mike Beller, Lindsay, Neb., never expected recognition in the beef industry, but attention to detail at his family's feedlot earned him Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) honors this fall.

Marbling: the good fat
- Marbling has become one of the least understood concepts in the beef-consuming world.

Finks win CAB Commitment to Excellence Award
- Certified Angus Beef LLC honored the Fink Beef Genetics on Sept. 13 at the brand's annual conference. Galen and Lori Fink, Manhattan, Kan., accepted the 2008 Seedstock Commitment to Excellence Award in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Cattleman's Choice wins CAB Feedlot Partner of the Year
- Cattleman's Choice Feedyard, Inc., has grown in scope to be named Certified Angus Beef LLC 2008 Feedlot Partner of the Year for all yards under 15,000-head capacity. Dale and Mary Moore accepted the award at the CAB Annual Conference, Sept. 13, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Circle A Feeders wins CAB Quality Focus Award
- Value-added Angus genetics, good management practices and a low-stress environment led Circle A Feeders, Huntsville, Mo., to a Certified Angus Beef LLC Quality Focus Award. Nick Hammett accepted the award at the CAB Annual Conference Sept. 13 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Peterson Livestock wins CAB award
- The Peterson Livestock LLC won the 2008 Certified Angus Beef LLC Commercial Commitment to Excellence Award for the family's focus on raising high-quality calves that fit the ranch environment. Bob and Pam Hones accepted the award the annual conference Sept. 13 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Quality over quantity - David Ranch wins CAB Quality Focus Award
- John David is not big on words, just results. Those can speak volumes. That low key, high achievement approach also resulted in the David Ranch feedlot winning a national honor from Certified Angus Beef LLC. The Lenora, Kan., operation was recognized at the CAB Annual Conference in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Sept. 15, with a 2008 Quality Focus Award, for feedlots less than 15,000 head.

Staying the course - Darnall Feedlot wins CAB Quality Focus Award
- Darnall Feedlot, Harrisburg, Neb., aims for the high-quality beef market, despite higher fuel and feed prices and somewhat uncertain premiums. The Certified Angus Beef LLC-licensed partner yard was honored at the CAB Annual Conference Sept. 13 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, with a Quality Focus Award for feedlots with more than 15,000 head capacity.

Keeling wins CAB Progressive Partner Award
- The ingenuity, pace and effectiveness of Keeling Cattle Feeders, Inc., won the feedlot the 2008 Certified Angus Beef LLC Progressive Partner Award, which Scott Keeling and his wife, Karen, accepted at the CAB Annual Conference, Sept. 13, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Beef Northwest wins CAB large Feedlot Partner of the Year
- Under Ron Rowan's leadership, the company became a Certified Angus Beef LLC-licensed partner in 2003. He accepted the 2008 Feedlot Partner of the Year (>15,000 head) for Beef Northwest at the CAB Annual Conference in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Sept. 13.

Family Values Meet Consumer Demands
- This summer marks the Mull family's 100th year in the cattle business. The Pawnee Rock, Kan., feedlot still relies on family values to develop customer relationships.

August 2008

AngusSource® points out top cattle
- Good data, good people and good cattle. In combination, they add up to top honors in the 2008 spring quarter AngusSource® Carcass Challenge (ASCC).

July 2008

Evocative, emotive "marbling"
- To start a lively discussion amongst a group of cattlemen, just utter the word, "marbling." It' been called one of the most emotive words in the beef industry.

Cowboy for a Day
- Carrying a catalog with more than 10,000 items, from napkins to carrots and steak, foodservice sales is no easy job.

"Black Ink Basics" set for August in Lubbock
- Cattlemen who want to increase their profit potential should attend the "Black Ink Basics" seminar next month at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Strong start, finish for Purina Carcass Classic
- Twenty-seven South Dakota and Nebraska ranchers sent more than 1,000 calves on a discovery mission last summer.

June 2008

Angus influence affects efficiency, carcass merit
- Successful producers have always tried to raise high-quality, high-performing cattle, but may have felt compelled to choose one ideal over the other. That's not necessary, according to a recent analysis of data from the Iowa Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity (TCSCF).

May 2008

Southeastern cattle stack up
- A long-held industry opinion is that cattle from the South are worth less than their Midwestern counterparts. Not true, says Darrell Busby, Iowa Extension beef specialist.

April 2008

Marbling governs beef flavor
- Steakhouses hold an allure for discerning diners, and Daryl Tatum knows why.

Factors that affect CAB® rate
- Most beef producers own at least some Angus cattle. They may have wondered what it takes for their calves to qualify for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand.
Related files: pdf-1   pdf-2   jpg-3   pdf-4  

Why people eat beef
- People make hundreds of choices every day, from clothing to music and food.
So what moves 24 billion pounds of beef off the shelves and menus and onto consumers' plates each year?
Related files: pdf-1  

Lung adhesions: the invisible cost
- When cattle get sick, it hurts performance and quality.
Related files: pdf-1  

How the CAB Program works
- The world's oldest and largest branded beef company does not own any cattle or beef product. Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB ^®)is based on pull-through demand, and the only thing Certified Angus Beef LLC owns is its trademark.
Related files: pdf-1  

The foodservice consumers' beef
- A panel of foodservice experts recently agreed beef consumers want quality.
Related files: pdf-1  

March 2008

Feed prices may encourage creep feeding
- Today's high feed prices could make this the perfect year to try creep feeding.

AngusSource^® announces contest to hit CAB^® target
- The 2008 AngusSource Carcass Challenge (ASCC) opens in April as the latest in a long tradition of proving Angus genetics in the feedlot and packing plant.

CAB president calls for balance
- Premium branding shows the way to balance sustainability today with beef's long-term consumer demand, relative to other proteins.

CAB premiums hit $250 million
- Grid premium rewards for hitting the Certified Angus Beef^® brand target have increased over the past two years, a January survey shows.

February 2008

DNA can help determine cattle potential
- Every steer in a feedlot is different.

Herd records produce results
- Planning and preparation make a big difference in efficient cowherd management.

Stockers can be managed for quality
- Cheap gains and maintenance-level nutrition are strategies from a bygone era of stocker management, according to Mark McCully, of Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB).

Putting beef consumers first
- RENO, Nev., February 8, 2008 – Four companies today announced a joint effort to build bridges between consumers and beef producers.

January 2008

Old ideas in a new light
- Market changes tell cattle feeders to take another look at what worked in the past.

Trends change; importance of quality stays
- Food trends change with the times.

Cut herd health risks
- Proactively improving wellness is the most important function of a herd health program.

Quality, efficiency work together
- New rules for high-stakes beef industry

Beef grades
- When the meat grader stamps a side of beef with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quality grade, he is estimating its palatability. That stamp of approval on a Choice or Prime carcass predicts quality so that consumers have the confidence to pay more. Producers who sell in a value-based system also earn more. But how do the graders decide which stamp to use? What separates a Choice carcass from a Select?

Stack genetics to hit target
- Bulls are essential, but they're not the whole ballgame in herd genetics. Traits can be influenced more readily if your breeding program takes into account both the paternal and maternal sides of the equation.

Strong demand supports higher prices
- Some economic rules of the last century no longer apply. Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company, says the times are changing and cattle producers should take note.

December 2007

Room and reason to improve beef
- During a seminar on the merits of high-quality beef, two industry leaders expressed concern over future supplies and short-term focus on pounds over quality.

Let's talk, cattle feeder says
- Communication could help solve many challenges in the beef industry today. That's what Tom Brink, senior vice president of Five Rivers Cattle Feeders, told producers at two seminars in November.

November 2007

Getting it all
- Efficiency and quality are two important words in the beef industry. Both were covered during the Feeding Quality Forums, Nov. 13 in Garden City, Kan., and Nov. 15 in South Sioux City, Neb.

The high-quality difference
- When it comes to steak, quality makes all the difference for both consumers and producers. At the Amarillo Farm Show, some Angus seedstock producers saw visual proof and learned about the dollar differences.

More sorting, more beef quality
- Sorting cattle helps eliminate outliers in a pen, but the extra effort may be rewarded by higher quality grades, too.

Circle A Angus adds CAB feedlot
- Circle A Angus Ranch opened a 5,000 head, all-under-roof feedlot in Huntsville, Mo. in May. Circle A Feeders is the only finishing yard in Missouri to join the Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) Feedlot Licensing Program (FLP).

Original premium beef brand sets records
- The Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB^®) brand, with sales of more than 584 million pounds, hit the highest mark in its 29-year history for the year ended Sept. 30.

Grid marketing could fit calves
- Cattlemen often find it hard to realize the full value of calves sold at weaning.

'Aim High' Online
- Beef producers who want to set higher quality and profit goals have a new source of information.

Patience payoff
- Getting the most out of calves in the feedyard takes a little patience during preconditioning.
Research from New Mexico State University says weaning calves for at least 41 days before placing them on feed can increase their net return.

Give 'em a chance
- How to get more for calves at the auction barn

October 2007

CAB introduces 'Best Practices Manual'
- Cattlemen have to keep producing a fast-growing calf every year to make money. But that's not enough if those calves don't produce the beef consumers want. A new "how-to" report from Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) spells out the means to pleasing those who bring new dollars to the beef industry.

Beef flavor counts more than tenderness
- There's been a lot of talk about tenderness in the beef industry lately. Tenderness markers have been identified and bulls are marketed with much fanfare surrounding this single trait. So tenderness must be king with the consumer, right?

September 2007

Where commitment begins
- Consumer satisfaction doesn't just happen. It takes commitment, according to Joe Boutte, of Perry's Grille & Steakhouse.

Ratcliff Angus Ranch wins CAB honors
- From the oil fields to soft drink distribution, banking to ranching, Jim Ratcliff never set foot without a commitment to excellence. Ratcliff, of Vinita, Okla., hired Billy Hall as ranch manager in 1999, because he saw a kindred spirit.

Built on trust, results
- Miller wins 2007 CAB Quality Focus Award

Big on quality
- Kansas feedlot holds on to CAB crown

Pulling out all the stops
- Kansas feedlot wins CAB honors, naturally

Quality as a profit center
- CAB honors Wheeler Feed Yard

Every little bit adds up
- Western Nebraska ranchers win CAB honors

Quality beef: a family affair
- Beller Corporation CAB Feedlot of the Year

August 2007

Cows that work, calves that grade
- Many beef producers struggle with priorities when it comes to genetic selection. One part of them knows the market rewards a focus on the end product. After all, consumers are the ultimate customers.

Packer opens premium door to high-quality Angus calves
- The nation's largest beef packer now offers Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand premiums for AngusSource®-tagged calves that qualify.

Premium grades add $500 million to cattle business each year
- USDA Prime, Choice, Select and Standard have been the staples of graded beef, at least since the system was overhauled in the 1970s. The Choice grade may have been made too broad for effective use, because in recent years its upper two-thirds has further segmented into a kind of fifth grade: premium Choice.

July 2007

CAB record sales demand driven
- The largest branded beef program in the world continues to grow. Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) set a record in June, selling more pounds of product than in any other month in the brand’s history. CAB moved 56 million pounds through its network of licensed packers, distributors, retailers and restaurants.

June 2007

Connecting links in the beef chain
- Atlantic City, N.J., is not exactly cattle country. But the gaming hub was a great place for a spring food show where consumers could meet someone from cattle country.

Only the best partners, naturally
- Cattlemen with top quality Angus herds have a new option for feeding their natural calves.

May 2007

Beef quality: Seasonal cattle market thrills - part 1
- The cattle market is a rollercoaster. Based on the interactions of supply and demand with weather, politics and other variables, it can take you for a wild ride.

Beef quality: Reasons for the seasons - part 2
- Each year, beef quality grade follows a seasonal pattern with a late-winter peak before a sharp drop in the spring. As measured by percent USDA Choice in the fed cattle harvest mix, quality improves a bit in midsummer but hits a second valley in September.

Beef quality: Reasons for the seasons - part 3
- Each year, beef quality grade follows a seasonal pattern with a late-winter peak before a sharp drop in the spring. As measured by percent USDA Choice in the fed cattle harvest mix, quality improves a bit in midsummer but hits a second valley in September.

Calf nutrition pays
- Quality beef starts with good calf nutrition from day one.

Research available to producers
- The Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) "Here's the Premium" survey of 10 auction markets across the United States notes an increasing trend in the premiums paid for calves of known Angus genetics.

What it takes to be a CAB-licensed feedlot
- When like-minded producers work together, they can accomplish more than the sum of their individual efforts.

Modern grass cattle concepts
- Cattle genetics have changed and backgrounders may need to react.

April 2007

Corn, cattle in new paradigm
- When feed prices double, cattle producers think twice as hard about management options.

Where's the Premium?
- High percentage Angus calves outsell non-Angus calves of similar weight and frame at Texas area sale barns.

56th Annual Montana Livestock Forum
- "Ethanol may affect quality grade because the associated higher corn prices change the entire economics of raising cattle," Corah said on Tuesday, April 10, during the event’s evening program.

March 2007

Packers, Producers Need Each Other
- Major beef packers across the United States say they're most successful when cattle producers are successful.

Pasture to plate cooperation needed to please consumers
- A good eating experience for the consumer is the result of efforts across the entire beef industry.

Parasites rob gain, grade, profits
- From a nutritionist's standpoint,parasites do two things that are really detrimental:depress feed intake and depress digestibility of the feed cattle do consume. When an animal has decreased intake and/or digestibility, one of the first places it shows up is in marbling score.

Dining out demands higher quality beef
- Whether dining in or taking out a beef entree, businesses lose money and customers when they cut corners on beef quality.

February 2007

Variable cattle, variable profit
- Value-based marketing provides premiums for cattle that fit certain specifications and discounts for those that don't. Profitability on these grids can be improved by marketing animals at an ideal time.

Cattle-Fax sees opportunity in high quality
- 300 million people are spending $75 more per year for beef than they were in the 1990s. The demand is for higher-grade product, the upper two-thirds Choice and Prime.

Responding to change
- Knowledge guides purebred producer's decisions

Add value to calves, fit consumer demand
- Many producers face challenges as cattle prices fall and the cost of gain skyrockets with increasing ethanol production. Higher corn prices often led to shorter feeding periods and lower beef quality grades in the past, but the future looks different.

Stocker management affects feedlot, carcass performance
- Many producers believe the feedlot phase is the only one that influences beef quality grade,
but the cow-calf and stocker phases also contribute to marbling.

Slick Bunk Management
- Sometimes it's not what the cattle eat, but how they're fed that makes all the difference.

January 2007

CAB uniformity rules take effect
- Licensed packing plants across North America begin using new, 10-part carcass specifications.

Use of better carcass data will improve beef
- Carcass data is one key to making upward change within a cowherd. As the beef industry moves closer to grid marketing, it's economically important to focus on the end product. The Choice-Select spread averaged more than $13 per hundredweight last year, and that should make carcass data collection and use a top priority for cattlemen this year.

AngusSource now a viable CAB source
- National Beef Packing Company LLC will be the first packer to allow AngusSource® cattle to be eligable for its premium Angus programs.

Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas top NACC
- 2006 NACC winners announced.

Getting a handle on grade
- Feeding Quality Forums in North Platte, Neb., and Amarillo, Texas, last November shed light on many of the factors the play a role in delivering higher quality beef to consumers.

December 2006

Growth Promotion Can Impede Quality
- Implants can negatively affect quality, if you let them.

Making the most of limited supplies, CAB shines in 2006
- A continuous quest for high quality and value led the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand to its highest product utilization ever in fiscal 2006, which ended Sept. 30.

Big yards take big commitment
- Feedlot sizes have been steadily increasing, while quality grades of cattle continue to drop.

November 2006

Supplying the brand takes focus
- Pay attention to the consumer. Cattle producers everywhere are hearing that message. They understand that it’s really just asking them to pay more attention to their cowherds.

CAB reaches out to producers
- In an effort to fully explain Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) and the CAB program to producers, the company’s supply development team has created a special report in a magazine format.

Stika named CAB president
- John Stika, Creston, Ohio, has been named president of Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) by its board of directors. The board appointed him, effective immediately, at its Saturday, November 11 meeting during the American Angus Association annual convention in Louisville, Ky.

Data-driven decisions pay
- Since 1996, Robin Giles, Comfort, Texas, has also been able to trace finished calves from his herd back to the cows and bulls that earn him the most money. Ten years ago he began retaining ownership of most of his steer calves beyond weaning. He sent them to a feedlot and collected performance and carcass data on each head.

October 2006

The gender effect on beef quality
- It's a circle. The beef industry follows eight- to 12-year cyclical trends where supply and demand drive prices and production decisions. In a research review, Certified Angus Beef LLC vice president Larry Corah and supply development director Mark McCul

A million lessons from CAB feedlot partners
- In a million minutes, you will be almost two years older. A million-car traffic jam would reach from New York to L.A. and back again. A million is a lot of anything-dollars, miles or years. It's also a lot of data, and the most recent milestone

September 2006

Want top quailty beef? Start with potential
- Getting cattle to grade must start at the beginning, if not sooner. Planning comes before conception.

CAB to enhance uniformity
- Responding to beef industry changes and consumer demand, the Certified Angus Beef LLC board of directors on September 7 voted to adjust Certified Angus Beef® brand specifications.

Performance plus quality adds up for Angus producers
- You can't have it all. Do you want efficiency or quality? Make up your mind. Hold on there. Data from 12,000 cattle enrolled in the Certified Angus Beef LLC Feedlot Licensing Program show that you can have it both ways.