Information to Opportunity: Highlights from Beef Feeding Quality Forum Aiding Stores, Restaurants
September 1, 2026 | 2 min to read
The journey to produce high-quality beef presents market volatility and management challenges. But today, there are data, technology, tools and partners to identify the best value and how to attain it.
At the 2026 Feeding Quality Forum, each speaker added to the same message on Aug. 4 and 5 in Amarillo, TX. Hosted by Certified Angus Beef (CAB), the event drew more than 230 cow-calf producers, feedyard managers, allied industry and academia for two days of learning, sharing and networking.
“If you don’t have quality, if you only have commodity, breakeven is about as good as you can do unless you buy them really cheap,” Anderson said. “But if you have quality, then you have opportunity.”
With an average of 85% Choice, the money is in hitting premium programs like CAB, Prime and others that require higher marbling levels, he said.
“Prime has become more valuable as we got more of it because now we know we have it,” Anderson said.
With a reliable supply of Prime, restaurants and grocery stores can buy and promote with confidence. And consumers love it, too.
Restaurants like Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue have built comeback customers by offering CAB® Prime. No other product offers the quality and consistency of fabrication, said Arnis Robbins, Evie Mae’s owner.
“Competitors bring us product all the time,” Robbins said. “And we have never found a product that compares anywhere close to what we get consistently through Certified Angus Beef ® Prime brisket.”
As restaurant owners face high input costs, too, offering a higher quality product that ensures the best eating experience for just a little more money is an easy sell, said BJ Johnson, director of sales for Buckhead Meat of Atlanta.
“It’s an emotional connection now because they see that this product is going to perform week in, week out, day in, day out,” Johnson said. “And if I can base my business off that, I can go worry about something else in the restaurant.”
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