Cargill Will Invest in Genetic Cattle Selection

Cargill Inc. said it will invest in a genetic cattle selection process that should provide ranchers and feedlots with a means to produce beef that is consistent in taste and tenderness.

Caprock Cattle Feeders and meat packer Excel Corp., both units of Cargill, will provide $10 million to Savage, Md.-based life sciences company MetaMorphix Inc. to develop the genetic selection process, the companies said.

The selection system will rely on mapping of cattle genomes to identify the meat-producing traits in cattle. Commercial use is still several years away.