Livestock GradingEvaluation Animal Science I Animal Classes Beef

Livestock Grading/Evaluation Animal Science I

Animal Classes • Beef – Age • • • Calf – less than one year Cattle – more than one year Veal calf – less than 3 months Slaughter calf – 3 months to 1 year Feeder calf – 6 months to 1 year

Animal Classes • Beef – Sex • • • Steer Heifer Cow Bull Stag

Slaughter Beef Grades • Slaughter (ready to be killed) – have 2 grades: quality and yield • Quality Grade – – – – Prime Choice Select Standard Commercial Utility Cutter Canner

Slaughter Cattle Quality Grades • Determined by age, muscling, and marbling

Facts You Need To Know – Standard, Select, Choice, and Prime can not be older than 42 mths. • Anything higher is commercial grades – Utility, Cutter, and Canner have no age limit – No Prime for cows – Marbling affects tenderness – Prime must have maximum marbling – 80% of all cattle are “choice” grade

Slaughter Beef Grades • Slaughter (ready to be killed) – have 2 grades: quality and yield • Yield Grade – – – Yield Grade #1 Yield Grade #2 Yield Grade #3 Yield Grade #4 Yield Grade #5

Slaughter Cattle Yield Grades • Affected by muscling and amount of fat – Yield 1 – best muscle with least fat waste – Yield 2, 3, 4 – Yield 5 – worst grade, less muscle and more fat.

Feeder Beef Grades • Feeder Cattle (still need to be fed) are graded on: – Frame size – Muscle thickness – Thriftiness

Determining Feeder Cattle Grades • Will have 2 grades – Frame Size • Large • Medium • Small – Thickness • No. 1 • No. 2 • No. 3

Determining Feeder Cattle Grades • Frame Size – Large • Tall and Long • Little Fat – Medium • Slightly Tall and Long for age • Some fat – Small • Small frame and short • Fat

Determining Feeder Cattle Grades • Thickness – No. 1 • Thick muscling • Wide – No. 2 • Moderate muscling • Somewhat narrow – No. 3 • Thin muscling • Very narrow

Review Livestock Grades • Slaughter Steer/Heifer – Quality – Yield • Feeder Steer/Heifer – USDA No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 – Large, Medium, Small frames

Animal Classes • Swine – Sex • • • Barrow Gilt Sow Boar stag

Swine Classes • Swine – Uses • Slaughter – to be killed and meat sold • Feeder – to be fed more

Animal Grades • Swine Grades – Quality and Yield determine USDA grade • • • US No. 1 US No. 2 US No. 3 US No. 4 US Utility – We use logical slaughter potential and thriftiness to get grade

Swine Grades • Grades are determined by: – Percent of weight made up of: • • Loin Ham Boston shoulder Picnic shoulder • Can evaluate live hogs with: – Backfat – Degree of muscling

Grading Livestock • Feeder Swine – US No. 1 – US Utility • Utility is diseased, unthrifty, head appears to big for body and has wrinkled skin. • US No. 1 has thick muscle, large frame, and is trim • A US No. 1 must be no less than average muscled

Determining Swine Grades • Grade = – (4 x backfat thickness in inches) – (muscling score) – Muscling scores are: » Thin = 1 » Average = 2 » Thick = 3 – Example – 240 lb. gilt has 1. 05 inches of backfat and is thick muscled. • =1. 2 so grade is US No. 1

Determining Swine Grades • Or you can do this: – Backfat Thickness • • Less than 1 inch is No. 1 1. 00 – 1. 24 inches is No. 2 1. 25 – 1. 49 inches is No. 3 1. 50 or over is No. 4 • Add one grade for Thick muscled • Subtract one grade for Thin muscled • Stay the same for Average muscled – Remember a thin muscled pig can never be a No. 1