Tenderness has been identified as the number one concern in many beef taste tests and studies. As anyone knows, tenderness is the most important quality of a good steak. It’s the new paradigm in beef quality! What if you could sell beef that was guaranteed tender? What if you could sell a pot-load of steers that were guaranteed tender? This could be game changer for the beef industry!
A new technology in genomics was developed that measures tenderness through a DNA test. Frank Hendrix, a cattle breeder and founder of Tenet®, selectively bred for tenderness over several decades. He was able to identify a series of DNA markers that accurately select for tenderness. Animals either have it, or they don’t. There is no rating.
Hendrix said only 2% of the sires they have tested have the Tenet® gene. Pharo Cattle Company™ decided to test their AI sires to see how they compared. The test results came in and an astounding 64% came back as positive!
For anyone who direct-markets beef, this is a huge! PCC™ is working with Hendrix to come up with a marketing plan for Tenet® certified animals and beef. When this is completed, PCC sires that have the tenderness gene will be identified. Imagine the premiums on your calves if they are certified Tenet®! This is another competitive advantage of using PCC genetics.