New DNA Test Tells If An Animal Will Yield Tough Or Tender Beef
WOOSTER, Ohio Order
filet mignon, prime rib or even a
strip steak at a restaurant and
the waiter or waitress predict
ably asks, “How is your steak?”
Unfortunately for the beef in
dustry, the answer may vary
from tender to tough. But that’s
about to change.
Two scientists at the Ohio Ag
ricultural Research and Devel
opment Center have found a
genetic marker for potential
tenderness in beef cattle. The
technology may hold the key to
elimination of most tough beef
from the marketplace within 10
years as long as animals with
this potential are managed cor
rectly. The researchers must
now study the heritability of the
marker genes.
Francis Fluharty, feedlot nu
tritionist, and Daral Jackwood,
molecular biologist, have devel
oped a DNA test to determine
genetic potential of beef cattle.
With funding from the Certified
Angus Beef Program, Fluharty
and Jackwood have designed a
method that identifies tender
ness and marbling potential of
cattle and aims to prevent varia
tions in the quality of beef prod
ucts. After four years of studies,
the test has proven to be more
than 99 percent accurate. A U.S.
patent application has been filed
to protect their find.
“Quality differences in beef
can’t always be corrected with
dietary adjustments,” Fluharty
said. “Some cattle simply have
the potential to produce high
qaulity, tender beef and others
do not.”
The new test will determine a
beef animal’s potential for high
marbling or very little marbling
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at an estimated cost of less than
$lO per head and it may save
producers $4O-$5O per head in
feed costs.
For example, total feed and
yardage costs can amount to
$1.85 per head per day, or
$43.50 per month. If cattle don’t
hit their target weight in a set
amount of time, money spent to
feed the animal is wasted. The
DNA test will help producers
prevent this from happening.
“Producers will be able to col
lect a blood sample when con
venient at birth, branding or
weaning and mail it to the
laboratory for sorting,”
Fluharty said. “The test results
will provide information neces
sary to pen and feed calves ac
cording to their known carcass
potential.”
Many beef producers cannot
get carcass information on their
cattle, Fluharty said.
Ultrasound can forecast fixe
future, but it can’t go back to the
calf and predict marbling and
tenderness potential. With this
technology, beef producers will
be able to manage cattle in out
come groups according to
their potential for tenderness,
marbling and growth.
“If a bull had all the indica
tions of potential for both tend
erness and marbling ability, he
would be worth more than bull
with only some of that poten
tial,” Fluharty said. “Wide
spread use of this technology
could eliminate non-tender
genetics over a 10-year period,
because no registered breeder
would sell cattle that flunk the
test for tenderness potential.”
The researchers will conduct
additional field trials over the
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next one to two years with sup
port from the American Angus
Association and the Certified
Angus Beef Program. Soon
after, the technology should be
available to beef producers ev
erywhere.
“We recognize there is still a
lot of research to be done,” said
Jim Riemann, executive director
of the Certified Angus Beef Pro
gram, “but we’re excited about
the potential for applying this
new DNA technology. Con
sumers want high-quality prod
ucts and are willing to pay for
them. The technology should
help with identification of beef
that meets CAB standards. Cur
rently the demand is greater
than the supply.”
The next step for researchers
is to predict the heritability of
DNA-marker traits.
Ron Bolze, director of prog
eny tests for carcass merit at the
CAB Program, will assist Ohio
State researchers with field trial
coordination.
Fluharty said because
OARDC is part of Ohio State,
the university will own the
rights to the patent on carcass
predicting technology, and the
Certified Angus Beef Program
plans to license the test.
“This technology will result in
huge changes,” Fluharty said.
“We won’t be in a commodity
industry any more. A commer
cially available test for tender
ness and marbling potential
would have profound effects
across the beef cattle industry.
For the first time, producers
would be able to market animals
that would consistently meet
consumer satisfaction.”
And consumers would have
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Grazing Meeting,
Pasture Walk May 31
SHIPPENVILLE (Clarion
Co.) The Clarion County Ex
tension Office announces a graz
ing meeting and pasture walk
Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m. at
the Larry and Angel Stone farm
located near Rimersburg.
The Stones have no-tilled
some cropland and pastures in
the past two years, as well as
adding more fencing to their op
eration to accommodate a rota
tional pasture system for the
mixed dairy herd. They graze
the cattle on a pasture system of
mixed grasses and legumes. The
Stones are planning on adding
more pastures to their rotational
system as time permits.
The meeting will also include
information on a pasture re
search project that the Stones
will be cooperating in with Penn
Dairy
month*
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27, 2000-03
of beef knowing that it’s
tender, juicy, and delicious.
State on dry matter intake and
pasture growth.
The public is invited to join
the Stones on May 31 as they
show the improvements they
have made to the farm to im
prove pasture quality. The farm
is located near Rimersburg.
Take Rt. 68 west from Rimers
burg to the New Athens Church.
Turn right onto S.R. 3004 and
go approximately 3.6 miles
through Kissinger Mills to the
Stones’ farm. Signs will be
posted. This event will be held
rain or shine, so prepare for in
clement weather if necessary.
For more information, con
tact the Clarion County exten
sion office, phone (814) 782-
0033, or e-mail CLARIONEXT
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