Value-Based Beef Cattle Production

Consumers today are more concerned than ever about the food they eat. Cattle producers must take responsibility that the beef they produce is a healthy, wholesome, and quality product and their management meets regulatory standards. Assuring quality beef begins with an attitude to do things in the production process that enhance quality and safety and minimize defects or risks. A number of good management practices have been identified to guide producers in assuring beef quality.

Good beef begins with good feed. Several regulations exist concerning feed used in cattle rations. For example, pesticides used on crops for feed must have U.S. government agency approval. Also, no ruminant-derived protein sources can now be fed to cattle as a precaution against the transmission of bovine spongiform encephalomyelitis. A wide variety of feed additives and medications are given to cattle to enhance performance and health. It is important that only government approved products are used in accordance with label directions.

Guidelines and directions for use are attached to the product container. Included are instructions for dosage, how to administer, precautions, and the length of withdrawal period necessary from when the animal receives the product and when it is safe to slaughter it to avoid product residues in the meat. It is advisable to develop a relationship with a veterinarian to help you find the most effective and safe treatments and products. Take care to handle vaccines and antibiotics properly with regard to storage temperature, sunlight exposure, and mixing according to label instructions to avoid diminishing their effectiveness.

Good records of products, medications, and treatments fed or administered to either a group of animals or individual animals should be kept. Uniquely numbered ear tags placed at birth or purchase provide a means to keep track of individual animals. Records should include the date used, product used, dosage given, where or how it was administrated, and the withdrawal time assigned to the product(s).

Site and technique for administering injections as either vaccinations or treatments is of special concern. Improperly administered injections increase animal tissue damage that ultimately reduces the animal's value and quality due to the occurrence of lesions, abscesses, scar tissue in the muscle, and trim losses. Whenever possible, medications should be given sub-cutaneous (sub-Q), intravenously (IV) or orally. Intramuscular (IM) injections should be given in the neck and never exceed 10 cc per injection site. Never give injections in the back leg or rump, as it may cause defects or blemishes in valuable meat cuts. Avoid injecting cattle during wet weather and take care to see that the injection site is free of manure and dirt.

Improperly administered injections increase animal tissue damage
that ultimately reduces the animal's value and quality
due to the occurrence of lesions, abscesses, scar tissue
in the muscle, and trim losses.

Proper equipment is also important for reducing injection site defects. Use clean sharp needles of the smallest practical size. Generally 16 or 18 gauge needles � to � inch long for sub-Q and 1 to 1� inch long for IM are recommended. If a needle bends, loses its sharpness or gets contaminated with dirt or manure, replace it. Dull and dirty needles increase tissue damage and injection site infections and abscesses. Likewise, keep syringes clean using hot water for cleaning guns to administer modified live vaccines and hot water or a mild disinfectant for guns used to administer bacterin.

Animal performance and carcass quality is optimized when people managing animals treat them with patience and care. Handling cattle in ways to minimize stress enhances both immune and rumen functions. Rough handling and poor facilities contribute to bruising and carcass defects.

Providing a good environment which protects animals from severe weather, minimizes mud, and furnishes adequate water is an issue of animal well being and vital to good performance and a quality product. Castrating and dehorning calves early in life, preferably prior to weaning, is generally recognized as minimizing stress in the feeding period. Feeding high grain rations for at least 100 days prior to slaughter is generally needed to obtain desired carcass finish and grade. To avoid digestive problems, reduce liver abscesses, and avoid founder, cattle need to be gradually stepped up on grain rations and then fed multiple and consistent feedings per day.

Everyone involved in the beef business needs to strive in all aspects to produce the best product possible that will exceed beef consumers' expectations for safe, wholesome, and quality meat.

Beef Grading

How to calculate quality and yield grades

The grade of a beef cut sold at retail can be an important selection factor for many consumers. Likewise, the grade of a beef carcass is critical to the beef producer, since the dollar value received is directly dependent on the grade. Yet consumers and producers alike often are confused as to what grades mean and how they are determined.

Determining USDA quality grade

Beef quality refers to the expected eating characteristics (tenderness, juiciness and flavor) of the cooked product. USDA quality grades are used to reflect differences in expected eating quality among slaughter cattle and their carcasses. There are eight USDA quality grades for beef:

Eating quality generally is most desirable for "Prime beef" and least desirable for "Canner beef." The quality grade of a beef carcass is determined by evaluating carcass indicators of physiological maturity and marbling, as reflected in the Official USDA Grading Chart (Figure 2). For example, a carcass in the A maturity group with a small degree of marbling would be graded USDA Choice.

Physiological Maturity

As animals mature, the lean tends to become darker and less tender. Most cattle are slaughtered at less than 30 months of age which places them in the A maturity class. When chronological age is not known, the beef grader will examine the bone and cartilage of the animal to estimate age. As maturity (or age) increases beyond 30 months, an increase in marbling is required in order to maintain quality grade levels.

Marbling

Within a maturity group, marbling (the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat) within the ribeye is the primary determinant of USDA quality grade. Visual evaluations of marbling in the ribeye (at the 12th rib cross-section) are related to differences in eating quality of beef. Beef cuts with high levels of marbling are more likely to be tender, juicy and flavorful than cuts with very low levels of marbling. Studies suggest that beef from carcasses grading at least USDA Select is likely to be acceptable in eating quality for most consumers.

Ten marbling scores are used to determine USDA Quality Grades for beef, seven of which are shown in Figure 2. Color photograph standards for USDA marbling scores are available from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Determining USDA Yield Grade

USDA yield grades estimate beef carcass cutability, which is defined as the combined yield of closely trimmed, boneless retail cuts (% CTBRC) from the round, loin, rib and chuck. This is an estimate of the relative amount of lean, edible meat from a carcass. The five yield grades for slaughter cattle and beef carcasses are:

The lower the numerical value of the USDA yield grade, the higher the yield of closely trimmed, boneless retail cuts (Table 9).

The yield grade of a beef carcass is determined by evaluating the following factors: (1) external fat thickness over the ribeye area, (2) ribeye area, (3) estimating percentage of kidney, pelvic and heart fat (% KPH), and (4) hot carcass weight.

Fat thickness

Fat thickness is measured at a point three-fourths of the distance of the length of the ribeye from its chine bone side (Figure 3). This single measurement is a reasonably accurate predictor of overall carcass fatness; however, to improve the accuracy of the predictions of overall carcass fatness, the fat thickness measurement usually is adjusted up or down by the grader to account for visible differences in the distribution of external fat in the other areas of the carcass.

The relationship between ribeye area and carcass weight is used in yield grading beef carcasses to reflect differences in cutability stemming from carcass muscularity. This measurement is taken between the 12^th and 13^th ribs of the carcass.

Ribeye area can range from about 9 to 17 square inches; however, a preferred range will be between 12 and 15 square inches among carcasses of common weights. Typical beef cattle at finished slaughter weights will have approximately 1.6 square inches of ribeye per 100 pounds of carcass weight. Ribeye area can be measured by using a plastic grid (Figure 4).

Kidney, Pelvic and Heart Fat Percentage (% KPH)

Fat deposits around the kidney and heart and in the pelvic cavity typically are left in the carcass during the slaughter process and affect carcass cutability. Most carcasses have 1 to 4 percent of the carcass weight represented as kidney, pelvic and heart fat.

Calculating USDA Yield Grades

While the USDA grader may use this equation occasionally, most determinations are based upon the grader's experience and training, checking occasionally with the formula when requested to do so. The same holds true for the grader's determination of the USDA quality grade.

Determining Carcass and Live Animal Value

Consumers and producers often do not have a clear understanding of beef grading. Beef grades are two types, quality grades and yield grades. Most consumers are familiar with the names of several quality grades and may use them as a selection criterion when purchasing at retail. However, yield grades have less direct impact on consumer selection decisions. Producers, on the other hand, depend greatly on both quality and yield grades as a marketing tool for beef cattle and carcasses.

USDA quality grades are used to predict the palatability of meat from a beef animal or carcass, using carcass physiological maturity and marbling to determine the USDA grade. USDA yield grades are used to estimate the expected edible lean meat, with a USDA YG 1 being the leanest and a USDA YG 5 being the fattest.

Beef producers need to utilize the USDA quality grades and yield grades to determine the value of a carcass and of the live animal based on carcass merits.

Many companies in the wholesale and retail meat industry have developed pricing grids that assign premiums or discounts based on carcass quality grades and yield grades.

For example, a base price is established and premiums for prime or choice quality and yield grades #1 and #2 are established. These premiums are added to the base price. An example of one such grid is listed on Table 10. Using this grid and the base carcass price of $103 per hundredweight (cwt), a choice, yield grade 2 carcass would bring a premium of $2.00 for choice and $1.00 for yield grade 2, making the total carcass price received $106 per cwt.

Retailers then utilize a formula to account for retail product available for sale (which is related to yield grade), current carcass prices and a percentage markup (normally 30%) to determine the retail value (or what they will charge consumers, on average, for the beef contained in the carcass).

Table 11 illustrates how all these components of quality grade, yield grade, carcass prices and retail marketing can and do influence the retail value of a live beef animal.


Live Weight	Carcass Weight	Dress	KPH	Fat	REA	Marbling	Quality Grade	Yield Grade	Whole Sale Carcass Price	Live Weight Value

		%	%	(in)	(sq in)				Per lb.	Per lb.
1348 1358 1001 1180 1350 1131 1271 1051 1201	757 831 595 727 810 705 827 663 752	56.2 61.2 59.4 61.6 60.0 62.3 65.0 63.1 62.6	1.5 2.0 1.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 2.0 1.5 2.0	0.40 0.55 0.20 0.55 0.30 0.15 0.45 0.50 0.70	12.3 13.0 10.4 12.8 13.5 10.0 12.8 10.0 10.6	Small Modest Slight Modest Slight Slight Modest Small Modest	Choice Choice Select Choice Select Select Choice Choice Choice	2.7 3.3 2.2 2.9 2.4 2.7 3.1 3.4 4.1	1.06 1.04 1.01 1.06 1.01 1.01 1.04 1.04 0.85	0.60 0.64 0.60 0.65 0.61 0.63 0.68 0.66 0.53

*Based upon the price grid listed in Table 10.