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Establishing Practical Guidelines for Pricing Market Swine^1,2,

Iowa State University, Ames 50011

Abstract

Carcass composition and value relationships in 174 pork carcasses, differing in weight and body type, were analyzed to determine which easily measurable carcass characteristics most accurately reflected carcass value differences. Carcass value was determined from average 1981 National Provisioner prices of trimmed wholesale cuts, lean trim, fat, skin, neck bones and feet. The results indicate that carcass weight and backfat measured at the last rib accounted for 73% of the variation in carcass value. The inclusion of a subjective, three-muscling-score system further increased the accuracy of prediction of value to 77%. A multiple regression model using dummy variables was estimated to ascertain what value differentials were attributable to incremental changes in weight, backfat and muscling. The trends indicated that lighter weight carcasses were generally higher in value per hundred-weight and that carcass value began to decrease for carcasses over 76 kg. There was a downward trend in value per hundredweight as backfat thickness increased and muscling decreased. Based on these trends, a percentage table of changes in value with changes in weight, fatness and muscling was produced. Implications for the pork industry, as a result of the use of such a table by meat packers to report differentials, are discussed.

¹ Journal Paper No. J-11019 of Iowa Agr. and Home Econ. Exp. Sta., Ames, Project 1901; Muscle Biology Manuscript No. 184, Univ. of Wisconsin.

² The authors appreciate the financial support of the National Pork Producers Council and the cooperation of the NPPC Pork Value Task Force.

³ Dept. of Meat and Anim. Sci., Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison.

⁴ Dept. of Econ., Iowa State Univ., Ames.

⁵ Roman L. Hruska, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, AR-SEA, USDA, Clay Center, NE.

⁶ Dept. of Anim. Sci., Iowa State Univ., Ames.

⁷ National Pork Producers Council, Des Moines, IA.