Working Cows - Regenerative Ranching to Maximize Profitability and Soil Health Predicting Exceptional Beef Tenderness with 100% Accuracy through this Genetic Marker (WCP 424)
5 snips
Mar 28, 2025 Frank Hendrix, a pioneer in beef genetics, has discovered a revolutionary genetic marker that flawlessly predicts beef tenderness. In this engaging conversation, he shares his journey from farming to creating DNA testing protocols with his son. The discussion highlights the financial advantages of identifying tender beef cattle, the contrast between genetic predictions and traditional grading, and a deep dive into the significance of genetic research for the future of the cattle industry. Hendricks also touches on sustainable practices that can benefit ranchers and improve animal welfare.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Tenderness Rarity in US Beef
- Tenderness significantly influences beef eating quality, more so than flavor alone.
- Only 2 to 5 percent of the American cattle herd is exceptionally tender, making high tenderness rare.
Marbling ≠ Tenderness
- Marbling and tenderness are largely unrelated beef traits, with only 4 to 10 percent correlation.
- Therefore, marbling alone does not predict how tender beef will be.
Sheep Genetics Led To Breakthrough
- Frank Hendrix's early work in genetics focused on "calipige" sheep, which had heavy muscling but some lambs were extremely tough.
- This research indirectly contributed to advances in gene silencing and epigenetics, foundational to new medical drugs.