Marketing Salmonella Resistant Cattle

Shorthorn Country published this same article in 2013. Is anyone testing for this gene? This looks like a window that is wide open to effectively compete with black cattle in the feedlot. Salmonella resistant red calves make more money than dead black calves every time. Maybe Red Angus is ahead of this, but all it takes is for the perception to change that red cattle make healthier beef and red will surge. Selecting for resistant bulls is a marketing tool for selling to commercial customers. Maybe ASA could help get this volume discount on the tests.
AND all natural fast food is here, so that's as mainstream as it gets.  Consumers are going to select against the perception of Salmonella infected lymph nodes ground into black cattle burgers.

http://www.progressivecattle.com/topics/herd-health/5430-new-research-uncovers-genetic-resistance-to-salmonella

http://britishwhite.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Winter-2015.pdf.pdf

PSR Genetics will evaluate hair samples of individual cattle for $15 per sample. Volume discounts are available. Contact Dr. Carlson at [email protected] or by phone at 515-460-1224.

I've looked into this from multiple sources and angles, and they general conclusion is that from a feedlot perspective, the value is pretty minimal. The research was primarily started in dairy herds because salmonella is a much larger fiscal concern with fluid milk than beef, but they moved testing over to beef due to the general lack of red dairy cattle. As of the latest article I've read they had only tested about 1000 black cattle, which when you consider the total number of black cattle out there is a very small %. The people who could really benefit from this and the marketing power it could create are the small direct-marketers, of which there are not enough to truly warrant mass-production and improving accuracies of said tests.

Is there an accuracy issue? I just thought it was present/absent sort of thing.
I agree about direct marketing a smaller population. Like Shorthorn Branded Beef..Safe, Natural and Delicious.
Shorthorn has a dairy history with plenty of red cows as well as a good shot of Ayrshire along the way. I think our odds are good to have the Salmonella resistant profile. Might as well breed it in and promote it from a food safety perspective.
But, your right, without a brand it doesn't mean much.