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September 18, 2006 Natural Beef Industry Can Add Marketing Option Cattle producers have another market for the calves they wean this fall if they’ve never given the calves antibiotics or growth-enhancing products, according to a North Dakota State University beef expert. That option is the natural beef market. “There is a growing demand for naturally raised beef,” says Karl Hoppe, Extension Service beef specialist at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center. In an NDSU Animal and Range Sciences Department survey of about 1,200 shoppers at four Fargo-Moorhead Hornbacher’s Foods stores, nearly 38 percent said they probably or definitely would be more inclined to buy beef labeled “natural.” About 53 percent said they’d pay 5 percent to 10 percent more for beef labeled “natural.” The beef industry defines naturally raised beef as never having been treated for illness with antibiotics or had an implant of any kind that contains hormones. Vaccinations are preventive measures, not treatments. Cattle should be vaccinated for common respiratory diseases to enhance their immune system, says Vern Anderson, animal scientist at the Carrington Research Extension Center. Vaccinating will reduce the number of sick animals requiring treatment. However, if animals become sick, they should be treated with antibiotics, even though those animals will be disqualified from the natural market, Anderson advises. “Good nutrition and husbandry are keys to keeping cattle healthy and productive,” he says. Good records also are essential if producers plan to sell their calves in the natural food market, he says. Producers must be able to document that those calves haven’t been treated with antibiotics or hormones. The natural beef market’s prohibition against antibiotics includes ionophores added to feed to improve efficiency. But a number of new “natural supplements” are available that increase digestion and improve feed performance. “There is a growing body of research on yeasts, enzymes and other ingredients that will replace ionophores and qualify as ‘natural,’ ” Anderson says. Hoppe suggests producers learn how the markets where they plan to sell cattle define natural. He says producers also need to determine whether those markets offer a premium for naturally raised beef to help them decide whether producing cattle for the natural market is worth the extra expense. For more information about the natural beef industry, attend the NDSU Beef Feedlot Research Review and Ethanol Coproducts Seminar on Tuesday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Carrington Research Extension Center. ### Source: Karl
Hoppe, (701) 652-2951, khoppe@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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North Dakota State University |
