Breed and Branded Marketing
There is nothing new about using breed advantages or special brands to establish a unique market identity. As with most marketing concepts, these initiatives represent tried and true methodology spiced up with a few new twists to serve the needs of the participants in the modern day beef marketplace. For the producer, sifting through the wide variety of coordinated production and marketing system relationships that have resulted from the upsurge in the use of breed and branded marketing techniques can be a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Breed and/or branded marketing serve to reinforce the message that the consumer demands are the priority. The focus is on a strategic list of specifications targeting an end product that meets special needs or desires of the processor or consumer – or both.
There are three primary goals of breed and branded marketing:
- produce an animal that brings a greater rate of return on investment;
- provide the processor with a consistent product that flows through the operation; and
- provide the consumer with a convenient, healthy, taste-satisfying and consistent eating experience that promotes repeat purchases.
Harlan Ritchie of Michigan State University offers these questions to ponder when considering alliances or breed programs:
- What can I gain from the system?
- What parts of my business are weak that a coordinated system could help?
- Can I get information from the system? This would include everything from overall management to herd health to feeding and carcass data. What kind of information does the system provide and will it help me in my enterprise?
- Can I access new technology in the system? If new technology comes along, does the system have it or can I get it?
- Can I get financing in the system?
- Can I intensify my management and focus just on the parts of my business in which I’m good?
- What are the costs of joining the system, both direct and indirect? What are the fees for joining and participating?
- What kind of market target do my cattle fit?
Breed Marketing
Each of the cattle breed associations involved in marketing works to establish its own unique consumer oriented claim to fame. “Lean,” “tender” or “lean and tender” seem to be the most frequent eating-satisfaction claims. Breed specifications at the packer end point frequently include grade consistency, narrowed weight parameters, progeny guarantees and source verification.
Branded Marketing
Branded marketing might be seen as either separate from breed marketing or related to it. “All-natural,” “natural” or “naturally fed” are claims that are frequently associated with branded marketing efforts. The relationship with breed marketing sometimes comes into play when claims about the special traits of a particular breed of cattle are dynamically coupled with claims that the livestock have been raised without hormones or antibiotics in an effort to gain still greater consumer favor.
Another branch of branded marketing includes beef marketed through closed cooperatives and other forms of alliances and limited partnerships. Meat case products labeled as “certified premium” or “farmers choice” might be considered examples of this type of branded product. Here again, breed designation may or may not be part of the claim.
New Niches
In a world that responds favorably to choice, going against the old commodity model may be a very smart idea. In addition, it keeps you out from under the steamroller backlash of the dominant industry players because you are not just replacing business they had, you are possibly creating new customers for beef or bringing lost customers back.
This strategy is especially strong with local restaurants in the middle to upper clientele range, where they frequently give meat items center-of-the-plate status based on the cache of breed, brand and method of production.
Futuristic?
Strategic alliances represent strides toward a true value-based marketing system. Producer and processor participation with breed and branded marketing groups will surely impact the beef market in the future. The nature of this impact is difficult to determine but it seems clear that more and more cattle are being placed into the marketing system via these alliances.
The following represents a cross section of the types of producer alliances now available.
The following represents a cross section of the types of producer alliances now available.
- Precision Beef Alliance
- Precision Beef Alliance, 53020 Hitchcock Ave., Lewis, IA 51544
Phone: (712) 769-2640; (712) 769-2641
FAX: (712) 769-2610
E-mail: x1hall@exnet.iastate.edu; hdevorepetty@hotmail.com
www.precisionbeef.com/
- U.S. Premium Beef
U.S. Premium Beef, 10100 NW Executive Hills Blvd., Suite 105, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: (816) 891-2300, (316) 767-7041
FAX: (816) 891-2310
www.uspremiumbeef.com/
- Coleman Natural Products, Inc.
Coleman Natural Products, Inc., 5140 Race Court, Denver, CO 80216
Phone: (800) 442-8666
www.colemannatural.com/
- Laura’s Lean Beef Company
Laura’s Lean Beef Company, 2285 Executive Drive, Suite 200, Lexington, KY 40505
Fax: (606) 299-6822
E-mail: customers@llbcorp.com
www.laurasleanbeef.com
Following is a listing of beef breed associations, some of which offer marketing programs.
- American Angus Association
- American Angus Association, 3201 Fredrick Blvd., St. Joseph, MO 64506
Phone: (816) 233-3101
FAX: (816) 233-9703
- American Beefalo Association
American Beefalo Association, Box 656, Somerset, KY 42501
Phone: (606) 678-5438; (800) BEEFALO
- American Belgian Blue Association
American Belgian Blue Association, P.O. Box 307, Sulfur Springs, TX 75482-0307
Phone: (903) 885-2275
FAX: (903) 885-2464
- American Blonde d’Aquitaine Association
American Blonde d’Aquitaine Association, P.O. Box 12341, Kansas City, MO 64116
Phone: (816) 421-1305
FAX: (816) 421-1991
- American Brahman Breeders Association
American Brahman Breeders Association, 1313 La Concha Lane
Houston, TX 77054
Phone: (713) 795-4444
- American Chianina Association
American Chianina Association, P.O. Box 890, Platte City, MO 64079
Phone: (816) 431-2808
- American Dexter Cattle Association
American Dexter Cattle Association, Route 1, Box 378, Concordia, MO 64020
Phone: (816) 463-7704
FAX: (816) 463-7704
- American Galloway Breeders Association
American Galloway Breeders Association, 310 West Spruce, Missoula, MT 59802
Phone: (406) 728-5719
FAX: (406) 721-6300
- American Gelbvieh Association
American Gelbvieh Association, 10900 Dover St., Westminster, CO 80021
Phone: (303) 465-BEEF
FAX: (303) 465-2339
www.gelbvieh.org/~aga
E-mail: aga@www.gelbvieh.org
- American Hereford Association
American Hereford Association, P.O. Box 014059, Kansas City, MO 64101
Phone: (816) 842-3757
FAX: (816) 842-6931
- American Highland Cattle Association
American Highland Cattle Association, Livestock Exchange Building, Suite 200, 4701
Marion St., Denver, CO 80216
Phone: (303) 292-9102
FAX: (303) 292-9171
- American-International Charolais Association
American-International Charolais Association, P.O. Box 20247, Kansas City, MO
64195
Phone: (816) 464-5977
FAX: (816) 464-5759
- American Maine-Anjou Association
American Maine-Anjou Association, 760 Livestock Exchange Building, Kansas City,
MO 64102
Phone: (816) 474-9555
FAX: (816) 474-9556
- AmericanMurray Grey Association
AmericanMurray Grey Association, P.O. Box 34590, North Kansas City, MO 64116
Phone: (816) 421-1994
FAX: (816) 421-1991
- American Pinzgauer Association
American Pinzgauer Association, 21555 St. Rt.698, Jenera, OH 45841
Phone: (419) 326-8711
- American Red Brangus Association
American Red Brangus Association, 3995 E. Highway 290, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
Phone: (512) 858-7285
- American Romagnola Association
American Romagnola Association, 2000 Flagstone Rd., Reno, NV 89510
Phone: (775) 475-2333
FAX: (775) 475-2697
- American Salers Association
American Salers Association, 7383 S. Alton Way, Suite 103,Englewood, CO 80112
Phone: (303) 770-9292
Fax: (303) 770-9302
- American Simmental Association
American Simmental Association, 1 Simmental Way, Bozeman, MT 59715
Phone: (406) 587-4531
FAX: (406) 587-9301
- American Shorthorn Association
American Shorthorn Association, 8288 Hascall St., Omaha, NE 68124
Phone: (402) 393-7200
FAX: (402) 393-7203
- American Tarentaise Association
American Tarentaise Association, P.O. Box 34705, North Kansas City, MO 64116
Phone: (816) 421-1993
FAX: (816) 421-1991
- American Wagyu Association
American Wagyu Association. P.O. Box 4071, Bryan, TX 77805
Phone: (409) 260-0300
FAX: (409) 846-4945
- Ankole Watusi International Registry
Ankole Watusi International Registry, 22484 W. 239 St., Spring Hill, KS 66083-9306
Phone: (913) 592-4050
WATUSI@AOL.COM
- Barzona Breeders Association of America
Barzona Breeders Association of America, P.O. Box 631, Prescott, AZ 86302
Phone: (602) 445-5150
- Beefmaster Breeders United
Beefmaster Breeders United, 6800 Park Ten Blvd., Suite 290 West, San Antonio, TX
78213
Phone: (210) 732-3132
- Belgian Blue Association of America
Belgian Blue Association of America, P.O. Box 6111, Sarasota, FL 34278-6111
Phone: (813) 388-2258; (800) 533-2374
FAX: (813) 388-1790
- Braunvieh Association of America
Braunvieh Association of America, P.O. Box 1454, Topeka, KS 66601
Phone: (913) 234-9595
- British White Cattle Association of America
British White Cattle Association of America, P.O. Box 281, Bells, TX 75414-0281
Phone: (903) 965-7718
- Foundation Beefmaster Association
Foundation Beefmaster Association, 100 Livestock Exchange Building, 4701 Marion
St., Denver, CO 80216
Phone: (303) 294-0847
- International Beefalo Foundation
International Beefalo Foundation, P.O. Box 486, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-0486
Phone: (615) 893-1005
- International Brangus Breeders Association
International Brangus Breeders Association, P.O. Box 696020, San Antonio, TX 78269-
6020
Phone: (512) 696-8231
FAX: (512) 696-8718
- International Red Brangus Breeders Association
International Red Brangus Breeders Association, P.O. Box 690771, San Antonio, TX
78269-0771
Phone: (210) 696-8506
- International Zebu Breeders Association
International Zebu Breeders Association, P.O. Box 1402, Edinburg, TX 78540
Phone: (210) 318-3991
- Mid America RX3 Cattle Co.
Mid America RX3 Cattle Co., HC 75, Box 158, Sturgis, SD 57785
Phone: (605)347-3319; (800) 215-0763
FAX: (605)347-2207
- Piedmontese Association of the United States
Piedmontese Association of the United States, 108 Livestock Exchange Building,
4701 Marion St., Denver, CO 80216
Phone: (303) 295-7287
- North American Corriente Association
North American Corriente Association, 9101 E. Kenyon Ave., #3000, Denver, CO 80237
Phone: (303) 770-0144
- North American Limousin Foundation
North American Limousin Foundation, 7383 S. Alton Way, Suite 100, Englewood, Co
80112
Phone: (303) 220-1693
FAX: (303) 220-1884
- North America Normande Association
North America Normande Association, 11538 Spudville Rd., Hibbing, MN 55746
Phone: (218) 262-1933
- North American South Devon Association
North American South Devon Association, 7383 South Alton Way, Englewood, CO
80112
Phone: (303) 770-3130
- Red Angus Association of America
Red Angus Association of America, 4201 I-35 North, Denton, TX 76207-3415
Phone: (940) 387-3502
FAX: (940) 383-4036
www.redangus1.org
E-mail: info@redangus1.org
- Santa Gertrudis Breeders International
Santa Gertrudis Breeders International, Box 1257, Kingsville, TX 78363
Phone: (361) 592-9357
www.sgbi.org/~sgbi
- Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America
Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, 2315 North Main St., Suite 401,
Fort Worth, TX 76106
Phone: (817) 625-6241
- United Braford Breeders
United Braford Breeders, 422 East Main, Suite 218, Nacogdoches, TX 75961
Phone: (409) 569-8200
FAX: (409) 569-9556
- White Park Cattle Association of America
White Park Cattle Association of America, 419 North Water St., Madrid, IA 50156
Phone: (515) 795-2013
P.O. Box 523, Rochester, IN 46975
Phone/FAX: (219) 223-5418
- World Watusi Association
World Watusi Association, P. O. Box 14, Crawford, NE 69339
Phone: (308) 665-3919
Resource
http://ops.agsci.colostate.edu/~scomstoc/breeds/assoc.html