CAB Mythbusters
What they thought they knew that just ain't true.
From time to time, industry articles give us credit for driving up prices of black feeder cattle at the auction barn.
I don't disagree that CAB probably played a huge role in that. After all, the live-animal specification is the first hurdle that cattle have to meet to be accepted into our program (here's the entire list), but it usually surprises folks to learn that our goal isn't to increase numbers or prices of black-hided cattle in the United States.
Myth: CAB is just concerned with turning the nation's cow herd black.
Fact: If that myth said "Angus" instead of "black" it would have a slight element of truth to it, but that's still not what we're all about.
We know that as percent Angus increases in the cow herd, quality and CAB acceptance increases. That's why those cattle are worth more at the auction barn; buyers are taking a chance that they are indeed high-percentage Angus and are going to earn premiums as finished cattle.
As the breed has increased its growth traits, people are starting to notice that they're not just a maternal/carcass option. Many of those Angus cattle pair that with growth and efficiency.
Yet, we know the cattle business is not as simple as a color-by-number approach — you can't just pick a breed and automatically have good cattle. Your genetic selection and how those are managed all combine to create true value. So if your cattle are red, white, striped or black, you'd better be able to tell potential buyers why they're worth more.
If they're Angus, and you've got a focused program, you should be able to include "carcass quality" and "potential CAB qualifiers" on that list.
Now if you said, "CAB is just concerned with getting more people to use those carcass-focused Angus genetics that work at every segment from ranch to feeder to packer and beyond…" then you'd be much closer to the truth.
May your bottom line be filled with black ink.
P.S. — To see our genetic and management recommendations for targeting CAB, check out our Best Practices Manual online, or request a free copy in the mail.
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