During the 1960s and ’70s, Americans were fighting a dietary war on fat. The beef industry basically discarded marbling and quality, with a desire to better compete with a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Focus was squarely placed on lean red meat yield and production efficiency as Continental breeds rapidly displaced British breeds to dominate the American herd. In the process, beef quality became increasingly inconsistent. Little did the industry know that these choices would cut overall beef demand in half, leading to one in four steaks being tough. 

Angus cattle didn’t fit this new landscape. From 1968 to 1978, the American Angus Association experienced a 45% decline in registrations from its all-time high of 406,310 to 222,608 head.

The moment everything changed

One bad steak 50 years ago, experienced by Ohio Angus breeder Harold Etling, changed everything. 

Harold knew Angus ranchers could produce better beef; after all, it’s one reason he chose the breed. 

After his bad eating experience in 1975, he wrote a letter to the American Angus Association Board of Directors, outlining a certification process, complete with accountability to provide a consistent, reliable source of premium Angus beef to restaurants and grocery stores. Three years later, the first pound of Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB) was sold to Ella Whitt at Renzetti’s IGA in Columbus, Ohio.

This started an Angus-dominated branded beef revolution; a movement for the entire industry to produce higher-quality beef. Yet, getting the first branded beef program up and running was no easy feat.

Within a month of selling the first pound of product, the USDA canceled the program, and it took six months to reinstate the brand. In 1981, the Association Board voted 14 to one to stop the program if it wasn’t profitable within a year. 

When the brand still wasn’t covering its own expenses 12 months later, CAB survived by one vote: 8 to 7. Ultimately, the Association invested $281,276.44 to support the brand before it began covering its own expenses — a worthy investment.

Growing the advantage 

Initiated from a simple yet visionary idea and pursued through the grit and tenacity of Angus breeders seeking a better future for the breed and Association members, it’s no accident CAB is where it is today. The brand continues to support the growing dominance of Angus in an industry that once sold them at a discount. 

Since 1978, the brand’s mission has been to increase the demand for registered Angus cattle through a specification-based, branded beef program to identify consistent, high-quality beef with superior taste. Time has proven that the pull-through demand model works, rewarding Angus cattlemen and women whose cattle qualify for the brand.

CAB provides a consumer-based target and creates demand for Angus cattle. However, Angus breeders are the true brand champions for focusing on high-quality genetics to increase marbling. 

That’s been integral in turning the beef industry around, so we can enjoy the best beef demand we have seen in nearly 40 years. 

As an Association member, you ultimately own CAB. The goal of this new column is to help you learn more about how the brand works and is positioned in the marketplace. 

It’s more than just good marketing, and I’ll uncover why as we go behind the brand. 

Did this raise a question? Submit comments to John.