YMUE-ADDING in the beef industry is a hot topic among producers, processors, and retailers. While each sector of ;he industry can pursue activities to value-add beef and associated products, such as hides, many producers remain convinced that value-adding does not apply at the farm level. One of the reasons for this may be that producers believe value-adding needs to be done with the end product. Some think value-adding involves different methods of product preparation, promotion or use. In reality value-adding is a process of making the product more useful or more suitable for the purchaser's requirements. This is a process that definitely applies to on-farm production. Producers seeking to increase the value of the cattle they produce have many areas in which to act. However, these actions should be directly influenced by a clear and current knowledge of the requirements of their customers. Like many things, customer requirements can and do change. Despite this producers often fail to update their awareness of customer requirements or, as they are more commonly known, the market specifications. Frequently this results in a lower return to the producer at time of sale, and in some cases can see them miss opportunities to sell their product to a particular market or customer. Once the market specifications are clear in mind, producers can then work to make on-farm decisions that allow them to produce for the market they may have in mind.
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