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Relation of Production Factors to Conformation Scores and Body Measurements, Associations among Production Factors and the Relation of Carcass Grade and Fatness to Consumer Preferences in Yearling Steers^{1, 2,}

University of Nevada, Reno

C. E. Shelby and R. T. Clark

Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Denver, Colorado

Abstract

GENETIC improvement of beef cattle has long been largely contingent upon selection criteria evaluated on the basis of visual appraisal. Many animal husbandmen, breeders and producers believe it is possible to predict accurately the rate and economy of gain, desirability of carcass traits, economic value and transmitting ability of an animal by means of visual appraisal. Relative economic value of virtually all cattle is determined accordingly. The literature rather clearly indicates that there may not be an association between conformation score and subsequent rate and economy of gain. The evidence with respect to score at different times is contradictory. There appears to be a relation between slaughter grade and carcass grade which may be due to their common association with degree of fatness. The literature concerning the relations between body measurements and production factors in beef cattle has been reviewed by Yao et al. (1953), White and Green (1952), Cook et al. (1951) and Kohli et al. (1951).

¹ This work was conducted in cooperation with the Animal Husbandry Research Division, Agriculture Research Service, U. S. Department ot Agriculture, under Western Regional Project W-1 on beef cattle breeding research. Cooperation of the Agricultural Economics Department, University of Nevada, is hereby acknowledged. The authors are particularly indebted to Howard G. Mason, Agricultural Economics Professor Emeritus. The assistance of the Nevada Meat Packing Company, Reno, the Sparks Meat Company, Sparks, and the Peoples Packing Company, Yerington, is gratefully acknowledged.

² The original data and detailed tabular material have been published separately as Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 204, 1959, Relations Among Conformation Scores, Body Measurements and Production Factors of Yearling Steers.

³ Present address: Science Department, Reno High School, Reno, Nevada.