1. F30 Beef Cattle Evaluation Some of the pictures and text contained in this material have copyright restrictions limiting their use. Use of this information is for example only and should not be reproduced without the permission of the owner.

2. Lesson Outline  Slaughter Cattle Evaluation  Evaluating Degree of Muscling  Evaluating Degree of Finish  Evaluating Top Line  Evaluating From the side  Soundness and Structural Correctness  Frame Size  Quality Grades

3. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 3 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation  Livestock evaluation starts with a visual observation from three views  Front  Side  Rear

4. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 4 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation  In each of these views you are going to look for specific traits.  Market animals are evaluated on four main traits listed in order of importance: 1. Muscle 2. Finish 3. Structural Correctness 4. Balance & Growth Capacity

5. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 5 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Terms for Understanding  Muscle - red meat for human consumption *ANIMALS ALL FINISH FROM FRONT TO BACK*  Finish (quality) – amount of fat covering the carcass of a market animal *ANIMALS ALL FINISH FROM FRONT TO BACK*  Structural Correctness – Applies to the structural correctness of an animal and its ability to carry muscle  Balance & Growth Capacity - Having the correct portions of width, depth, and length

6. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 6 Where to Start  We have established the degree of muscle as the most important trait on a market animal. The greatest amount of muscle on the animal will be in the hind quarters.  The hind quarter view is one of the most important views when judging market animals.

7. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 7 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Rear View - Muscle 1. Width through the center portion of the rear (stifle) 2. Width between rear feet when steer stands, and (or) walks 3. Length of muscle-especially in the lower quarter 4. Width of top (butterfly shape desired)

8. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 8 Thin Muscle Very narrow width Average Muscle Average width Thick Muscle Good width Super Thick Very good width Evaluating Degree of Muscling

9. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 9 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Rear View - Finish  Overall Appearance  Squareness: A blocky shape means there is too much fat.  An angled appearance means the animal is not finished.  A smooth, round shape is correct.  Specific areas of fat deposits from the rear view:  Tail head  Udder or Cod

10. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 10 Cod fat Near ideal Too Fat Tailhead fat Evaluating Degree of Finish

11. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 11 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Rear View - Correctness  Does the animal stand on it’s feet correctly with the toes pointed forward, or does it severely toe in or toe out?  Pay close attention to the distance between the hocks. It should be about the same as the distance between the pasterns.

12. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 12 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation - Side View 1.Evaluate the top line for muscle and finish 2.Evaluate structural correctness 3.Evaluate the degree of balance

13. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 13 Poor Weak top Short, steep rump Good Long, straight top line Long, level rump Evaluating Top Line

14. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 14 Remember the Rule  Overall Appearance  Squareness: A blocky shape means there is too much fat.  An angled appearance means the animal is not finished.  A smooth, round shape is correct.

15. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 15 950 lbs 0.8 inches backfat Choice 50 4.0 yield grade Smooth over top Loose underline Full brisket Fat tailhead Udder fat Evaluating From the Side

16. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 16 $ 1,250 lbs $ 0.2 inches backfat $ 1.6 yield grade $ Standard quality grade Clean over ribs Empty brisket Indentation behind shoulder Tight, clean underline Shallow rear flank Empty cod Trim tailhead Evaluating From the Side

17. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 17 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Side View - Finish  Amount of fat covering the last two ribs  Excess fat through the flank

18. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 18 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Side View - Correctness  Straightness of the lines; back, hips, & underline  It is undesirable for the legs to be too far under the steer  or to be too “post” legged

19. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 19 Sound and structurally correct Big, square feet Strong pastern Good set to hock Good set to knee Evaluating Soundness and Structural Correctness

20. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 20 Evaluating Balance  Balance refers to market steers having the correct portions of width, depth, and length.  Width, depth, and length should be in equal proportions that blend together.

21. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 21 NO BALANCE Heavy fronted Too short Too light in hind- quarters Too shallow in rear flank Evaluating Balance

22. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 22 Divide the animal into thirds. Front 1/3, middle 1/3 and rear 1/3. Are they all the same length? All the parts (width, depth, and length) fit together nicely. Evaluating Balance

23. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 23 Good growth capacity Wide chested Wide walking Uniform body depth Open rib shape Long bodied Evaluating Growth Capacity

24. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 24 Evaluating Frame Size  The optimum steer for today’s market should be medium framed and finish at about 1,200 lbs  Large framed steers will get too big before developing adequate finish  Small framed steers will be early maturing and get too fat before they reach optimum weight.

25. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 25 1,400 lb large framed steer with no finish Evaluating Frame Size

26. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 26 900 lb small framed steer with too much fat Evaluating Frame Size

27. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 27 1,250 lb medium framed steer with proper finish 0.4 backfat $ 13.5 in 2 ribeye $ Low choice quality grade $ 2.8 Yield grade Evaluating Frame Size

28. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 28  Width in the chest floor  Substance of bone  Muscle in forearm Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Front View - Muscle

29. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 29  Fullness in the brisket  Excess fat through the neck Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Front View - Finish

30. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 30 Nice brisket Full brisket (near ideal) Too trim Empty brisket (lacks finish) Evaluating Finish From the Front

31. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 31 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Front View - Correctness  Width in the chest floor  Standing straight and solid on front legs  Do the feet toe out or toe in?

32. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 32 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation  Lets judge a class of 4 steers. Place them in order from best to worst; For example, 2-1-3-4 or 4-1-2-3.  Eliminate any easy placings in the class.

33. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 33 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation  It’s probably best to place them from all views, considering all traits, then put a final placing on the animals.

34. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 34 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Front View

35. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 35 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Side View

36. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 36 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Side View

37. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 37 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Side View

38. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 38 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Side View

39. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 39 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Composite Side View

40. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 40 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Rear View

41. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 41 3-1-4-2 Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Angus Steers – Teachers Placings

42. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 42 12 3 4 Example Market Steer Class II

43. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 43  Muscle: 2-4-3-1  Finish: 2-1-4-3  Capacity: 2-4-3-1  Structure: 4-3-2-1  Balance: 4-2-3-1  Frame: 2-4-1-3  Official Placing: 2 - 4 - 3 - 1  Cuts: 3 - 5 - 6 Market Steer Class II Placings By Traits

44. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 44 1 2 34 Example Market Steer Class III

45. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 45  Muscle: 2-4-1-3  Finish: 1-4-2-3  Capacity: 4-1-2-3  Structure: 4-1-2-3  Balance: 2-4-1-3  Official Placing: 4 - 1 - 2 - 3  Cuts: 4 - 3 - 6 Market Steer Class III Placings By Traits

46. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 46  Prime  Choice  Select  Standard  These grades are in order from highest quality to lowest quality Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Quality Grades of Slaughter Cattle

47. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 47  Prime:  Choice: Slaughter Cattle Evaluation Quality Grades of Slaughter Cattle

48. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 48  Select:  Standard: Slaughter Cattle Quality Grades

49. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 49  The more marbling in the red meat, the higher the quality grade  The amount of marbling is in direct relationship to the amount of fat covering the steer. Generally the fatter the animal the more marbling it has.  Prime Choice Select Standard Slaughter Cattle Quality Grades

50. Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 50 The ideal grade for slaughter cattle is:  Prime Choice Select Standard Slaughter Cattle Quality Grades