Way back in 1968, my steer got beat out for grand champion by a 775-pound Angus that could have walked under your dining room table. That was when they posed critters in deep straw to make them look shorter and dumpier for photos.
My Dad didn’t cotton to that trend, because he was selling beef in halves and quarters and the cutout yield was terrible on those short, dumpy things.
I mention this because that was the cattle population that was used to develop the yield grade formula that we use today. Our national herd is a tad different now.
At NCBA’s Live Cattle Marketing Committee meeting, John Stika of Certified Angus Beef and Blake Foraker of Texas Tech University, gave updates on red meat yield research, working to update the yield grade formula to properly assess the modern beef animal. The goal is to improve yield grading’s ability to accurately project actual yield, to enable cattlemen to get paid for what the carcass is yielding, the packer to know better what he is getting and, importantly, to keep getting the carcass quality that has made the consumer willing to pay record prices for our product. Incidentally, CattleFax reported that beef demand is at its second highest level in 37 years, with retail prices at all-time records.
The initial research is examining the data we already have, with the tools that we’ve been using. For example, KPH (kidney, pelvic and heart fat) has very little correlation with external fat in today’s cattle. One of the questions will be whether we should remove that from the equation completely.
There is a Red Meat Yield Working Group, funded by the Beef Checkoff, consisting of 30 people from the cow-calf, feeding, processors, academics, technology providers and beef merchandising sectors of our production chain. They are examining existing data, formulating new questions and then determining which questions are worth pursuing.
KPH varies from 1.5-6% of carcass weights. One goal is to reduce the 40% variation in yield grade. The group expects to finish the project in three to five years.
Foraker pointed out that while we are producing four times the number of prime carcasses of a few years ago, we are also back to getting a lot of yield grade (YG) 4s and 5s. What kind of balance can we get between external fat and marbling? The formula we’ve been using is based on fat thickness at the 13th rib, carcass weight, KPH and ribeye area.
The original research involved 162 head, three-quarters of whom yielded under 600-lb. carcasses. Foraker showed a plot graph of yield grade versus cutout value that had dots scattered everywhere. To get that premium for Prime and high Choice, we’re producing a lot of fat to get high quality and high yield. We’re not accurately describing what we’re getting.
They are also utilizing CT scans to determine composition. For the packer, red meat yield is the weight of subprimals that go into the box. Retail yield is trimmed cuts. Workers trim carcasses differently, which is one source of variability. What correlation is there between the CT scans and red meat yield? What effect does the shape of an animal have on correlation to red meat yield? The project is also determining ways to augment data and use “virtual cutting.” They are using AI techniques to process 100 head, projecting results across 10,000 head. Is the way we cut carcasses today the only best way?
The Q&A elicited another nugget: ribeye area doesn’t correlate to overall muscling like it once did. Other considerations involve beef-on-dairy crosses and how beta agonists change the comparison.
The outlook for working with the expected-to-be-confirmed USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins looks promising, as does a new chairman on the Senate Ag Committee and returning chair on House Ag. The only cautionary notes on personnel were regarding some Department of Health and Human Services appointments. RFK Jr. could be helpful or a problem, depending on where he concentrates his fire.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee shifted violently away from its trajectory all through the process to a startling report sent to the secretaries for review. The bias against red meat suddenly took flight, for reasons that can only be guessed at. There is much to do to keep that bias out of the final recommendations, NCBA’s Sigrid Johannes said.
Three factors that could ruin our good times: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) have reintroduced a mandatory country-of-origin labeling bill, lengthy tariffs could disrupt our export market and JBS has proposed a non-admission settlement with R-CALF and National Farmers Union. — Steve Dittmer, WLJ columnist
(Steve Dittmer is the author of the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation newsletter. Views in the column do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of WLJ or its editorial staff.)
