Carcass Grading

Beef Grading

• The primary objective of carcass grading is to describe the value of a carcass in clearly defined terms useful to the meat industry. • The federal grading of carcasses

facilitates long distance transactions and contracts for future shipments •Not all meat is graded •All meat is inspected and must have an

inspection label on the carcass or box.

•Quality Grade – based on amount of marbling

(intramuscular fat) in the longissimus dorsi, maturity of carcass, gender, meat and fat color.

•Quality Grades – US Quality Grades • young - Prime, Choice, Select, Standard

• old - Commercial, Utility, Cutter

•Age is determined looking at the ossification (red) of the tips or “buttons” of the thoracic vertebra •No ossification is

indicative of A maturity • Slight ossification as

seen is A/B borderline

• With increasing age increased ossification in the thoracic vertebra occurs

• If the cartilage is 40% ossified than the carcass is a C maturity

• This change in the thoracic vertebra is accompanied by complete ossification in the lumbar region and flattening and whitening of the ribs

•Note that the buttons on the thoracic vertebra are mostly ossified.

• Bones start to be come “flinty” and porous

• Typical D maturity

Traces Slight - Slight + Small Modest

Moderate Slightly Abundant

Moderately Abundant

Abundant

• Steer – cod fat is rough, “diamond-shaped” muscle

above aitch bone, Pizzle eye • Heifer – udder fat is smooth, “kidney-shaped”

muscle above aitch bone • Bull / Bullock – less cod fat, thickness in neck, jump muscle

in loin area, darker meat • Cow – wider in pelvic region, pronounced udder fat

Yield Grade = 2.50 + (2.50 x adjusted fat thickness) + (0.20 x percent kidney, pelvic and heart fat) + (0.0038 x hot carcass weight) – (0.32 x area of rib eye)

◦ Short cut methods are used when computers are

not available.

The fat thickness at the 3/4 distance is used to determine the preliminary yield grade.

It is also necessary when using the regression equation.

• The ribeye measurement is an estimate of the muscling in the carcass.

• Care must be taken when measuring the eye to ensure that only the eye muscle is measured.

• Grids are used for determining the area of the ribeye.

• The grid is pre-marked to 8, 9, and 10 in2

• Square is placed on muscle and dots outside the square are counted to determine size.

10 dots per square inch

Kidney, Pelvic and Heart Fat (KPH) is an estimation based on the percent of the carcass weight that is kidney, pelvic and heart fat.

Estimations are whole or half numbers such as 2 or 2.5 percent.

Estimations can be made based on how much space is occupied by the fat or by how many “softballs” make up the fat ◦ One pound of fat is about the size of a restricted

flight softball.

Fat thickness – 0.2

Preliminary YG– 2.5

Fat thickness – 0.6

Preliminary YG – 3.5

The grid pricing are premiums or deductions placed on the base price of slaughter cattle.

If a carcass is a high quality grade or an average to low yield grade than a premium will be added to the base price.

If the carcass does not grade choice and has a high yield grade than a deduction is made from the base price

Quality Average

Prime 11.23

Choice 0.00

Select -3.58

Standard -14.22

Certified Programs

Avg Choice

3.50

Bullock/Stag -26.43

Hardbone -27.91

Dark Cutter -30.50

Over 30 Months of Age -12.14

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lm_ct155.txt

Yield Grade Average Adjustment

1.0 – 2.0 2.75

2.0 – 2.5 1.38

2.5 – 3.0 0.96

3.0 – 3.5 -0.08

3.5 – 4.0 -0.08

4.0 – 5.0 -13.50

5.0/up -19.33

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lm_ct155.txt

Weight Average Adjustment

400-500 lbs -26.36

500-550 lbs -17.18

550-600 lbs - 3.58

600-900 lbs 0.00

900-950 lbs - 1.82

950-1000 lbs - 4.73

Over 1000 lbs - 9.17

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lm_ct155.txt

• Quality Grade - Prime

• Yield Grade - 3

• Base Price - $147/cwt

• Premium for Prime - $11.23

• Deduction for Yield Grade - $0.08

• Price per cwt - $158.15

• Quality Grade - Select

• Yield Grade - 4.6

• Weight - 1050

• Base Price - $147/cwt

• Quality Grade Deduction - $3.58

• Yield Grade Deduction - $13.50

• Weight Deduction - $9.17

• Price per cwt - $120.75