Select beef: Who wants it?

By Miranda Reiman

What was exceptional yesterday is average today. This is true in the cattle business and especially apparent in high-quality beef production. 

                  “Without paying attention to shifts in the market, it can be easy to assume what worked when we started still works now,” says Paul Dykstra, assistant director of supply management and analysis for the Certified Angus Beef  (CAB) brand. “It’s hard to argue there’s ever been true demand for Select, rather than simply a price point for those indifferent to quality.”

                  But indifference has left the market.

                  The Choice-Select spread has been sending the message for decades, says Dykstra. A wider spread signals strong demand for marbling, while a narrow spread suggests weaker demand for the same.

                  It gives cattlemen a roadmap of what the market wants, but price married with quantity provides the complete picture. 

                  During the last decade, Select carcass production fell 50 percent in relation to Choice and Prime. Through December 2020, the Select proportion was 13.9 percent of fed-cattle carcasses, down from the 2019 average of 16.9 percent. The Select grade typically comprised nearly half of fed beef 15 to 30 years ago.

                  “Supplies have dramatically decreased, and so we might assume scarcity would spur prices higher, given healthy demand,” Dykstra says. “But, the numbers tell a different story.”

                  A two-year snapshot of the spread between Select and No-Roll, which is ungraded and practically devoid of marbling, shows a narrowing trend, with the exception of the erratic markets this past May. The value difference between No-Roll and Select typically hit its highs at $20 per hundredweight (cwt) from 2015 to 2018, but those peaks dropped to $12 per cwt after this. The lows in the comparison were also slightly lower in recent years.

                  On the flip side, the Choice-Select spread showed a widening trend even as Choice supplies increased and Select decreased. 

                  “There’s less demand out there for Select beef. Retailers have embraced higher marbling, in part because it’s easier to procure,” he says. 

                  Choice has surpassed 70 percent of the fed-cattle supply. CAB often makes up 20 percent of the total, while Prime reached as high as 12 percent last year. 

                  “Consistent, high volumes of high-quality beef is key to retailers’ ability to feature it week in and week out,” Dykstra says.

                  In 2020, the percentage of fed cattle reaching premium Choice and Prime came to more than 40 percent. CAB hit its fifth year above a billion pounds, yet based on the CAB to Choice cutout, demand is exceptional, according to Dykstra.

                   “This happened while a significant portion of foodservice and international business was sidelined due to COVID-19. As demand for quality continues to increase, both domestically and abroad, Select starts to find itself in a bit of a ‘no man’s land,’” he continues. 

                   It’s no longer the low-price option when compared to product from other countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Australia, and it lacks the quality and performance compared to domestic Choice and Prime.

                  “With Select product devalued to this extent and representing a shrinking category, we need to embrace the change,” Dykstra says. 

                  Hitting 100 percent Choice on loads of cattle isn’t the gold standard it once was, he adds. Low Choice is no longer a premium product, but merely the low-water mark once anchored by the Select grade. 

                  “The market gives us a pretty clear picture of where it’s headed, and all cattlemen have an equal opportunity to respond,” he says.

                  Miranda Reiman is the director of producer communications for CAB and can be reached at mreiman@certifiedangusbeef.com.