Comparison of three methods of evaluating carcasses of bulls, steers, and heifers

One of the greatest contributions that could be made in beef cattle evaluation would be a simple and accurate method for estimating cutability in the live animal. If such a method were developed, more rapid improvement in muscling and cutability of beef cattle could follow. The major characteristics which aid in the prediction of cutability possibly have been identified; however, other live animal and carcass characteristics should be researched to determine their value in predicting cutability. The annual per capita beef consumption in the United States is approximately 100 pounds. It has been estimated that 88 out of every 100 people in the United States eat beef. Future demands for beef will require that it have desirable eating quality and come from carcasses with an excellent ratio of muscle to fat. These demands will require the maximum efforts of the breeder and feeder to produce a product that will have a high yield of retail cuts with desirable quality and finish. Therefore, the beef cattle industry must continue to search for new ideas which will enable their product to meet these demands of the consumer. Several methods are available for evaluating beef carcasses, but a comparison of three of the best known methods (USDA Cutability Formula, Wisconsin Per Cent Retail Yield, and Tennessee Simplified Method) was deemed most appropriate to use in this study. These are more frequently mentioned in the literature and the factors involved are relatively easy to obtain. The main objective of this study was to compare these three cutability prediction methods to the actual yield of semi boneless retail cuts and determine which method was the most accurate. The relationships of carcass measurements other than those used in the three prediction equations to retail cut yields also were determined.