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Live-Animal Prediction of Cutability and other Beef Carcass Characteristics by Several Judges¹

South Dakota State University, Brookings

Abstract

A committee of six judges subjectively estimated fat thickness, rib-eye area, percent kidney fat, dressing percent and quality grade on 135 grade Hereford steers. The animals were purchased at weaning from 10 private ranches, and all of them were fed in one lot for 235 days. Average final weight and carcass grade were 980 lb. and high good, respectively.

The correlation between tracing (average of three measurements) and single cooler-adjusted fat thickness was 0.81. Correlations between the planimeter and grid measures of rib-eye area and between carcass estimated and actual percent kidney fat were 0.90 and 0.57, respectively. The average estimates over all judges for percent kidney fat, cutability and quality grade differed significantly (P<.01) from the means of the corresponding actual carcass traits.

Although the correlation between live estimated and tracing fat thickness was 0.38, a correlation of 0.51 was obtained between the live estimate and single adjusted fat thickness. This suggests that fatness of the entire carcass may be predicted with moderate accuracy. Estimates of rib-eye area and percent kidney fat were less reliable as predictors of the corresponding actual carcass trait. The correlation between live estimated and carcass cutability was 0.44. A multiple correlation of 0.51 was obtained between carcass cutability and a prediction equation based on live weight and live estimates of fat thickness, rib-eye area and percent kidney fat. The correlation between estimated and actual quality grade was 0.25, suggesting that the prediction of yield of edible portion on a percent basis may be more accurate than estimation of quality grade. The correlation between live estimated fat thickness and carcass cutability was 0.65, suggesting that a single estimate for fat thickness is of as much predictive value in relation to carcass cutability as any of the equations studied.

¹ Department of Animal Science, published with the approval of the Director of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station as Publication 621 of the Journal Series. In cooperation with the ARS, U.S.D.A. and Regional Project NC-I, Improvement of Beef Cattle through Breeding Methods.

² Present address: Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana.

³ The authors wish to express their appreciation to B. C. Breidenstein, University of Illinois, Urbana; to D. K. Hallett, Standardization Branch, Livestock Division, AMS, U.S.D.A. Washington 25, D. C.; to Armour and Company, Huron, South Dakota, for assistance in collection of carcass data; to Elizabeth Christianson for assistance in recording data; and to the Department of Animal Science staff members who assisted in scoring the animals.