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WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU MIGHT JUDGE ON AN ANIMAL?. If you were a beef cattle judge what types of things might you look for to evaluate or compare 1 animal to another?.
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If you were a beef cattle judge what types of things might you look for to evaluate or compare 1 animal to another?
If you were judging and comparing chickens of the same breed to each other what sorts of things might you be looking at or for?
If you were a USDA inspector evaluating swine carcasses what might you look for/at?
Beef Cattle • Age Classes • Calves • Veal
Sex Classes • Steer • Heifer • Cow • Bull • Stag
Economically important traits for beef cattle evaluation are: 1) live weight; 2) dressing percent; 3) muscling; 4) fat thickness; 5) yield grade; and 6) quality grade.
Live Weight – Beef Cattle have a wider range of market weights than other species due to differences in type and maturity.Normal Range: 950- 1500 lb. Average: 1150 lb.
Dressing percent –Hot Carcass Wt. x 100 Live Animal Wt. Normal Range: 55-67% Average: 62% for Choice
Muscling – A good indication of total carcass muscle is the ribeye. Generally, an average beef steer has approximately 1.1 sq. in. of ribeye area per 100 lb. live weight. EX)– a 1,000 lb. steer >> an 11.0 sq. in. ribeye.
Normal Range: 10 – 18.0 in2 Average: 12.6 in2 for a 1150 lb. steer; 11.6 in2 for a 1150 lb. heifer
Fat Thickness – The primary estimate of fatness at the 12th rib. It is used to assess total fat on the carcass. Normal Range: .15 - .8 in. Average: .5 in.
Marbling is the dispersal or intermingling of fat among the muscle fiber in the ribeye between the twelfth and thirteenth ribs.
9 degrees of marbling, they are listed from the least amount to the highest. 1. Practically Devoid 6. Moderate 2. Traces 7. Slightly Abundant3. Slight 8. Moderately Abundant4. Small 9. Abundant5. Modest
Quality Grade – Quality is important in meat products to insure customer satisfaction. Quality can be identified as those factors that affect the palatability of tastefulness, flavor and juiciness of the meat.
In BEEF, Quality grade is determined by the class or kind of animal (steer, heifer, cow, bull), age or maturity, firmness and marbling of the carcass.
Beef Cattle Grades • Quality Grades • Prime -Utility • Choice -Cutter • Select -Canner • Standard • Commercial
Maturity – is the physiological age of the carcass. Maturity is important since the tenderness of lean muscle decreases as the animal advances in age.
It is measured by the degree of ossification of the vertebrae when split.
Maximum age for these top 4 grades is 42 months Commercial grade is >42 mos. Utility, Cutter, and Canner have no age limit Cows(females) do not earn a prime grade
Low choice or higher grades are the most desirable. • About 80% of grain fed cattle are choice graded.
In BEEF, Yield grade is determined by the percentage of the carcass that is boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts from the round, loin rib, and chuck
Yield Grade is an estimate of percent retail yield of the 4 primal cuts of beef (chuck, rib, loin, and round) and is also known as “cutability.” YG identifies the difference in the yield of lean red meat to waste fat
Beef Cattle Grades • Yield Grades • Yield Grade 1=most desireable, trim • Yield Grade 2 • Yield Grade 3=most commonly seen • Yield Grade 4 • Yield Grade 5=least desirable, fat
Yield grade is based on the four following traits: 1) hot carcass weight 2) fat thickness at the 12th rib 3) percent of kidney, heart, pelvic fat 4) ribeye area
Notice muscling on shoulder and rear quarter and how neat and trim around the middle the steer is showing little fat
