1
|
Smith CL, Thompson TW, Harr K, Goretska M, Mayer TR, Schwartz TE, Borders SE, Gehring KB, Bass PD, Pfeiffer MM, Mafi GG, Pendell DL, Morgan JB, Griffin DB, Savell JW, Scanga JA, Nair MN, Belk KE. National Beef Quality Audit-2022 Phase 1: face-to-face and digital interviews. Transl Anim Sci 2024; 8:txae034. [PMID: 38562215 PMCID: PMC10983070 DOI: 10.1093/tas/txae034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) has been conducted regularly since 1991 to assess and benchmark quality in the U.S. beef industry, with the most recent iteration conducted in 2022. The goal of NBQA Phase I is to evaluate what needs to be managed to improve beef quality and demand. Interviews (n = 130) of industry personnel were conducted with the aid of routing software. In total, packers (n = 24), retailers (n = 20), further processors (n = 26), foodservice (n = 18), and allied government agencies and trade organizations (n = 42) were interviewed. Interviews were routed in software based on interviewee involvement in either the fed steer and heifer market cow and bull sectors, or both. Interviews were structured to elicit random responses in the order of determining "must-have" criteria (quality factors that are required to make a purchase), best/worst ranking (of quality factors based on importance), how interviewees defined quality terms, a strength, weakness, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis, general beef industry questions, and sustainability goals (the latter four being open-ended). Quality factors were 1) visual characteristics, 2) cattle genetics, 3) food safety, 4) eating satisfaction, 5) animal well-being, 6) weight and size, and 7) lean, fat, and bone. Best/worst analysis revealed that "food safety" was the most (P < 0.05) important factor in beef purchasing decisions for all market sectors and frequently was described as "everything" and "a way of business." Culture surrounding food safety changed compared to previous NBQAs with interviewees no longer considering food safety as a purchasing criterion, but rather as a market expectation. The SWOT analysis indicated that "eating quality of U.S. beef" was the greatest strength, and cited that educating both consumers and producers on beef production would benefit the industry. Irrespective of whether companies' products were fed or market cow/bull beef, respondents said that they believed "environmental concerns" were among the major threats to the industry. Perceived image of the beef industry in the market sectors has improved since NBQA-2016 for both fed cattle and market cow/bull beef.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Colton L Smith
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tyler W Thompson
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Keayla Harr
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Macey Goretska
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Thachary R Mayer
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Trent E Schwartz
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sydni E Borders
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Kerri B Gehring
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Phil D Bass
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Morgan M Pfeiffer
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Gretchen G Mafi
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Dustin L Pendell
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | | | - Davey B Griffin
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jeffrey W Savell
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - John A Scanga
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Mahesh N Nair
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Keith E Belk
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Borders SE, Schwartz TE, Mayer TR, Gehring KB, Griffin DB, Kerth CR, Belk KE, Edwards-Callaway L, Scanga JA, Nair MN, Morgan JB, Douglas JB, Pfeiffer MM, Mafi GG, Harr KM, Lawrence TE, Tennant TC, Lucherk LW, O’Quinn TG, Beyer ES, Bass PD, Garcia LG, Bohrer BM, Pempek JA, Garmyn AJ, Maddock RJ, Carr CC, Pringle TD, Scheffler TL, Scheffler JM, Stelzleni AM, Gonzalez JM, Underwood KR, Harsh BN, Waters CM, Savell JW. National Beef Quality Audit-2022: Transportation, mobility, live cattle, and hide assessments to determine producer-related defects that affect animal welfare and the value of market cows and bulls at processing facilities. Transl Anim Sci 2024; 8:txae033. [PMID: 38616995 PMCID: PMC11015891 DOI: 10.1093/tas/txae033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, livestock trailers (n = 125), live animals (n = 5,430), and post-slaughter hide-on animals (n = 6,674) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the U.S. Cattle were transported in a variety of trailer types for an average distance of 490.6 km and a mean transport time of 6.3 h. During transit, cattle averaged 2.3 m2 of trailer space per animal indicating sufficient space was provided according to industry guidelines. Of all trailers surveyed, 55.3% transported cattle from an auction barn to a processing facility. When surveyed, 63.6% of all truck drivers reported to be Beef Quality Assurance certified. The majority (77.0%) of cattle were sound when evaluated for mobility. Mean body condition scores (9-point scale) for beef cows and bulls were 3.8 and 4.4, respectively, whereas mean body condition scores (5-point scale) for dairy cows and bulls were 2.3 and 2.6, respectively. Of the cattle surveyed, 45.1% had no visible live animal defects, and 37.9% had only a single defect. Of defects present in cows, 64.6% were attributed to an udder problem. Full udders were observed in 47.5% of all cows. Nearly all cattle were free of visible abscesses and knots (97.9% and 98.2%, respectively). No horns were observed in 89.4% of all cattle surveyed. Beef cattle were predominantly black-hided (68.9% and 67.4% of cows and bulls, respectively). Holstein was the predominant dairy animal observed and accounted for 85.7% of the cows and 98.0% of the bulls. Only 3.1% of all animals had no form of identification. Findings from the NBQA-2022 show improvements within the industry and identify areas that require continued education and research to improve market cow and bull welfare and beef quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sydni E Borders
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Trent E Schwartz
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Thachary R Mayer
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Kerri B Gehring
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Davey B Griffin
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Christopher R Kerth
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Keith E Belk
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1171, USA
| | - Lily Edwards-Callaway
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1171, USA
| | - John A Scanga
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1171, USA
| | - Mahesh N Nair
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1171, USA
| | - J Brad Morgan
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1171, USA
| | - Jarrett B Douglas
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1171, USA
| | - Morgan M Pfeiffer
- Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Gretchen G Mafi
- Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Keayla M Harr
- Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Ty E Lawrence
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX, 79016, USA
| | - Travis C Tennant
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX, 79016, USA
| | - Loni W Lucherk
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX, 79016, USA
| | - Travis G O’Quinn
- Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Erin S Beyer
- Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Phil D Bass
- Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-2330, USA
| | - Lyda G Garcia
- Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Benjamin M Bohrer
- Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Jessica A Pempek
- Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Andrea J Garmyn
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Robert J Maddock
- Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA
| | - C Chad Carr
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0910, USA
| | - T Dean Pringle
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0910, USA
| | - Tracy L Scheffler
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0910, USA
| | - Jason M Scheffler
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0910, USA
| | | | - John M Gonzalez
- Animal & Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-6755, USA
| | - Keith R Underwood
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
| | - Bailey N Harsh
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Crystal M Waters
- College of Agriculture, California State University, Chico, CA, 95929, USA
| | - Jeffrey W Savell
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| |
Collapse
|