Episode Details

It’s the Ranch It Up Radio Show! Join Jeff “Tigger” Erhardt, Rebecca Wanner AKA BEC and their crew as they hear the latest announcements from the USDA and the Trump Administration.  Plus the Meat Animal Research Center ranks Gelbvieh cows as number 1, hear the results and the latest sales calendar on this all new episode of the Ranch It Up Radio Show. This Saturday at 1:30 Pm eastern time, right here Rural Radio Channel 143 or the SiriusXM App. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel.

Data from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) shows that Gelbvieh females rank #1 for percent retail product.

The 2025 Across-Breed EPD (Expected Progeny Difference) Table, released by the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) and compiled by geneticists Larry Kuehn and Mark Thallman at the USDA U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), provides key performance benchmarks for the Gelbvieh breed compared to other beef breeds (using Angus as the baseline).

Additionally, historical and cumulative USMARC Germplasm Evaluation (GPE) data highlights several notable performance characteristics of the Gelbvieh breed. 

Key Performance Benchmarks

• Moderate Mature Size: In USMARC multi-breed evaluations, Gelbvieh stands out for having a significantly reduced and moderate mature cow weight (averaging roughly 145 lbs lighter than the Angus baseline). This moderation helps lower herd maintenance costs, making Gelbvieh females highly efficient feed converters.
• High Yield & Carcass Retail Product: Historically, Gelbvieh has ranked #1 for percent retail product among major evaluated beef breeds in USMARC progress reports, proving their exceptional carcass yield efficiency.
• Maternal Performance: Gelbvieh continues to rank in the top tier for average maternal milk ability, combined with reaching puberty at the youngest age and lightest body weight of the major Continental breeds. 

2025 USMARC Across-Breed EPD Adjustment Factors for Gelbvieh

To compare a Gelbvieh bull’s EPD directly to an Angus bull, commercial producers use the specific USMARC adjustment factors. The 2025 adjustment factors for Gelbvieh relative to an Angus baseline of 0.0 include: 

• Birth Weight: +2.9 lbs (Gelbvieh maintains the lowest birth weights among the major Continental options)
• Weaning Weight: -15.5 lbs
• Yearling Weight: -27.1 lbs
• Maternal Milk: +8.2 lbs
• Marbling Score: -0.37
• Ribeye Area: +0.66 sq. in.
• Fat Thickness: -0.066 in.
• Carcass Weight: +1.5 lbs 

New reporting is raising questions about the timing of a meeting between a major JBS shareholder and President Donald Trump.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Joesley Batista, a major shareholder in Brazilian meatpacker JBS, met with Trump at the White House on August 20th.

The meeting reportedly included discussions about whether lowering the 26-percent tariff on Brazilian beef could help reduce high U.S. beef prices.

The meeting happened just one day before Trump announced a major expansion of tariff-free beef imports.

On August 21st, Trump announced that up to 300-thousand metric tons of beef, or about 661 million pounds, could enter the U.S. over the next 90 days without the additional tariff.

Trump said the imported beef would be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.

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