AS HEREFORDS Australia was launching its latest branded beef program earlier this year, its sister association in the US was celebrating a record 50.2 million pounds (22.8m kilograms) of beef being sold under its Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) program last year.
The brand, which was launched in October 1995, has given US whiteface producers another outlet for marketing, allowing them to compete in a market flooded with Angus beef brands.
The record year of sales in 2014 represented a growth of two per cent on the previous year, meaning the brand is growing.
The brand has increased beef sales by 43pc since 2008, an achievement put down to the strong marketing campaign by the American Hereford Association (AHA) as well as product quality and consistency.
Association executive vice president Jack Ward said demand for whitefaced cattle was improving, which was reflected in the increased sales.
Since the brand began nearly 20 years ago, 4.7 million cattle had been identified through licensed packing plants as meeting the live animal specifications and 2.9 million carcases had been certified to carry the CHB name.
The brand is owned by the more than 5000 stud and commercial producers - all members of the American Hereford Association.
"There were nearly 270,000 carcases certified through CHB in fiscal year 2014, which means the demand for good feeder cattle has grown," Mr Ward said.
"This creates a pull demand for whiteface cattle in the feedyards (feedlots) and allows cattlemen who use Hereford gen- etics a great marketing avenue.
"In fiscal year 2014, the CHB brand sold 50.2 million pounds, which was its best year. This has really been positive considering the tight cattle supplies in the US."
CHB uses Hereford and Hereford-British steers and heifers that are under 30 months of age, with no dairy or Bos indicus influence.
Cattle are backgrounded on pasture and finished on grain.
The beef is marketed through three brands - the premium CHB Choice brand based on the US Department of Agri- culture (USDA) choice beef grading, CHB Select, based on the USDA select grade, and CHB Classic - a blend of the two grades.
"The carcase specs are yield grade four or better, a 1050-pound upper limit carcase weight, and medium or fine marbling," Mr Ward said.
"The program started as a classic program that was a mix of both select and choice or prime carcases and the program has expanded to include a choice or better program."
CHB products are sold through more than 300 supermarkets in 35 US states, along with more than 400 food service distribution centres.
"With the proliferation of many types of Angus brands, CHB stands alone as the one source for high quality, tender beef that is solely owned by the oldest beef breed association in the US," Mr Ward said.
"This gives CHB a marketing advantage in both a retail and food service market."
While the cost of beef against other proteins is a challenge for the brand, Mr Ward said he was confident CHB would continue to grow thanks to its quality and story behind it, including farming practices.
The brand also offers a range of recipes and simple cooking tips through its website, educating customers about the best ways to thaw and cook each cut.
"The CHB brand is owned by the AHA membership and because of its commitment to the beef industry for well over 100 years in the US, it allows us marketing opportunities to today's information savvy consumer," Mr Ward said.
"The new consumer wants to not only have a high quality, tender product that has a great eating experience, but today's consumer wants to know how its meat is raised and how the producer is handling animal welfare while being environmentally friendly.
"Hereford cattle have a great opportunity in this arena because of its ranchers, but also because of the inherent disposition and feed efficiency."