ABP meeting season

[grassfarmer]

As it's approaching Fall Producer Meeting season I thought we should maybe look at some of the topics for discussion. One section of the Annual report that struck me as strange was contained in the cow/calf committee chair's report. On the topic of cull cow values and how they have declined in recent years. I quote "If there is a possibility of getting some younger cull animals to fit into another grade, there may be an opportunity to capture additional value out of these cattle.....A recent article that I read indicates that some 25% of cull cows are basically first calf heifers that have the potential to be quite valuable meat"

Surely the author isn't so naive? how exactly would changing grades on the cattle capture additional value? Given there is only two(or soon even one) buyer of cull cows in western Canada how will producers extract this extra value? Experience would also tell me that there is "quite valuable meat" on a lot more than the cull first calvers. The fact that most of the steak sandwiches folks are eating nowadays come from cull cows that have been virtually stolen from producers is testament to that.
C'mon this is schoolboy level thinking surely ABP can come up with better than this?

[Sawbones]

Attaboy
Now you're talking and maybe if the producers get mad enough there will be some changes. Approximately 1/3 of the meat sold by cow/calf producers is OTM beef and it once accounted for approximatley 25% of the income. That income has dropped to approximately 12%.

[grassfarmer]

We processed a(just)OTM heifer recently. She lost a calf in the late April storm and didn't rear anything this summer.
Value at auction would have been under $400 after deductions based on 40c/lb.
Instead we got her processed and will sell for good quality grass-fed beef. Cost of kill/cut and wrap @$400. We have sold a half for $848 and the other half will go in our own freezer. So this cow had a value of around $1200 net - and her auction bid would have been around $400!
Sheer robbery. Processor and retailer profiteering needs to be addressed.
The solution however is not to sit around on a committee and discuss adding another grade of cattle. What difference would it make to XL if they were told it was an F5 cow instead of a D1? are they going to bid any harder? against who? - themselves?
This is how far out of touch ABP are.
Time for a change!