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Let the CAB Cattle Crew keep you up to date on what’s happening in the beef community. We’ll share industry insights to help you maximize your profit potential.
Latest headlines
Your cattle, data and the grid
Many cattlemen have an idea of how grid marketing works, but might still have some questions as they’re digging through carcass data. Paul Dykstra will present a free webinar, “Understanding grid marketing and carcass data,” on January 21, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. CST.
“A Rare Breed: Legacies of Excellence” launches this week
Follow along as these short video features detail registered breeders, commercial cattlemen and cattle feeders from Oregon to Texas. Get a glimpse of their family life and their cattle philosophy, and get ideas for your own operation.
Nominate quality cattlemen for 2021 CAB awards by Jan. 17
Cattlemen aren’t in it for accolades, but you know who they are and we need your help on their behalf. Their passion, drive and ability to create more top-quality beef lifts all of us and merits wider notice. Nominations are open until Jan. 17 for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand supply development awards.
January 31 deadline for CAB Colvin Scholarship
Selected by the Colvin Scholarship Fund Committee, applicants are judged on their activities, scholastic achievement, communication skills and reference materials. Applicants will be selected to win their share of $50,000.
Behind the brand
Of all the Angus-identified cattle, only about 35% make the cut for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand. This news release covers our November webinar and details how those cattle get in, ways other cattle fall short, and what producers can do about it.
Come what may
Every year, farmers and ranchers somewhere get knocked down by natural disasters. But that often leaves people wondering: “How can we help?” The Certified Angus Beef ® brand created the Rural Relief Fund as a way to rally their community to provide support.
Black Ink
Look back later
“Nobody likes to hear this in the middle of a trial, but it seems often true in life and business: the thing that feels so hard now, won’t always feel hard.” Miranda’s Black Ink® column for November touches on the idea of growth, and how it often feels better in hindsight.
Keeping up
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering if you’re falling behind, this column is encouragement for you. It’s a reminder to keep forward momentum. To see change and technology and figure out how to balance it all.
Videos: Industry Updates
Convey genetic potential, reap rewards
January 12, 2021
More information can lead to more dollars at sale time. Paul Dykstra gives tips for marketing commercial feeder calves.
Demand drivers bring opportunity
Better focus, better future
Making forward progress
Cattle Crew Views
Not perfect, but working to get better
The CAB Cattleman Connection team heard its name called more than once in the virtual ceremonies, and each time came a sense of personal accomplishment, but even better: confirmation that we’re getting better at our craft. I hope that means we’re doing a better job for you.
Beefed up findings
Frank Mitloehner presents his findings on the animal ag sector’s impact on global warming. He explains how cattle counterbalance other fossil fuel sectors, proving that cattle are a solution and not a threat.
This too shall pass
There are no words that will take away the devastating slap of a market drop, the pain of a postponed bull sale or the exhausting frustration that things feel out of control. The page will eventually turn and the world will still need great beef and those who raise it.
Speaking of meat
CAB chefs and meat scientists are so good at sharing their know-how that a whole range of listeners will sign on from city streets to ranch sand hills and beyond. Now find their expertise in their new podcast “Meat Speak”.
CAB Insider
Branded prices gain on Prime in 2020
Supply factors took center stage for cattlemen in the past year as COVID-19 ravaged the marketplace. The backlog of finished cattle, carcass weights and price discovery have been such burning issues for months now it’s been hard to free up mental space for anything else.
Premiums high in a lower market
We can’t count all the reasons why 2020 needs to find a hasty exit, but at least we can hope that a new year will bring on new dynamics for the cattle industry. We know we’re facing a first quarter in 2021 that will test our resolve.
First sales of CAB in China
Just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday we’re resting on what has been a solid holiday run-up in beef carcass cutout values. Spot cattle and boxed beef prices diverge, while CAB makes its way into China.
Carcass quality spreads widen on seasonal demand
From a feedyard’s perspective, the fourth-quarter quality spreads are an important seasonal factor. Many feeders with high-quality Angus genetics in their inventory procure cattle with the expectation that carcass quality premiums will be near their annual highs during this period.
Read More Stories for Success
We do the information gathering so you don’t miss a beat at home. Stories of those who aim for quality and have hit their target, but keep aiming to get even better.
