Livestock Harvest & Red Meat Production: Grading, Fabrication & Marketing

Livestock Harvest & Red Meat Production: Grading, Fabrication & Marketing

Beef Grading

• Operates on a grid pricing system.
• Uses two primary grading categories for market guidance: beef yield grade and beef quality grade.
• Yield grades estimate the quantity of edible product on a beef carcass.
• Expressed numerically from 1.0 to 5.9:
  • 1.0 indicates a very high-quality carcass.
  • 5.9 indicates a very low-quality carcass.

Factors for Beef Yield Grades

• Hot carcass weight (HCW).
• 12th rib fat thickness (FT).
• Ribeye area (REA).
• Kidney, pelvic and heart fat (KPH).
• USDA equation for yield grade calculation:
  • YG = 2.5 + (2.5 x FT) + (0.2 x KPH) + (0.0038 x HCW) - (0.32 x REA).

Beef Quality Grades

• Predicts the likelihood of a desirable eating experience for consumers.
• Based on a quality score derived from:
  • Marbling (intramuscular fat) within the ribeye.
  • Carcass maturity.

Lamb Grading

• Operates under a similar grid pricing system as beef.
• Uses two estimates: lamb yield grade and lamb quality grade.
• Yield grades for lamb range from 1.0 to 5.9, similar to beef.

Lamb Yield Grades

• Based on one primary factor: fat thickness (FT).
• USDA equation for yield grade calculation:
  • YG = (FT x 10) + 0.4.

Lamb Quality Grades

• Predicts the likelihood of providing a good eating experience based on:
  • Carcass conformation.
  • Marbling streakings.

Pork Grading

• Lacks established value-based pricing market comparable to beef and lamb.
• Estimates include:
  • Percent muscle.
  • U.S. grades.

Percent Muscle in Pork

• Equivalent to USDA yield grading.
• Considers hot carcass weight (HCW), 10th rib fat thickness (FT), and loin eye area (LEA).
• Calculation:
  • Percent Muscle = 7.231 + (0.437 x HCW) + (3.877 x LEA) - (18.746 x FT).

U.S. Grades for Pork

• Predict yield from pork carcasses, assigned by USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
• Graded on a scale of 1 to 4:
  • 1 indicates high yield; 4 indicates low yield.
• Factors include last rib fat thickness (LRBFT) and muscle score (MS).

Pork Quality

• Currently lacks standardized quality grading but can be assessed for quality predictions based on similar principles.

Dressing Percentage

• Used alongside yield grades to estimate carcass yield.
• Defined as the portion of a live animal that becomes marketable meat.
• Factors include hot carcass weight (HCW) and live weight (LW).
• Calculation:
  • Dressing Percentage = HCW ÷ LW.

Fabrication in Meat Processing

Fabrication Overview

• Involves breaking down carcasses into primal cuts, sub-primal cuts, and retail cuts.
• Essential for marketing and consumer access to various meat products.

Description of Cuts

• Primal cuts refer to the main sections of the carcass.
• Sub-primal cuts are smaller sections derived from primal cuts.
• Retail cuts are the final pieces sold to consumers.

By-products

• Refers to secondary products made from livestock which are vital in various industries (e.g., leather, gelatin).### Fabrication Process
• Fabrication involves breaking down the carcass into retail cuts for consumer consumption.
• The process breaks down beef, pork, and lamb into primal, sub primal, and retail cuts.
• Primal cuts are larger cuts of meat derived from the initial breakdown of the carcass.
• Sub primal cuts refer to smaller cuts fabricated from the primal cuts.
• Retail cuts are the final product, ready for preparation and consumption.

Beef Primal Cuts

• Chuck: Extends from the neck to the fifth rib; includes retail cuts like pot roast and top blade steak.
• Rib: Fabricated from ribs 6-12 and a portion of the backbone; commonly used for ribeye steak and rib roast.
• Loin: Contains the short loin and all lumbar vertebrae; leads to cuts like loin steak and tenderloin steak.
• Round: Less tender, comes from the beef carcass's rear; includes cuts like round steak and bottom round rump roast.
• Flank: Located beneath the loin, includes tougher cuts with significant fat; includes flank steak and London broil.
• Brisket: Found on the ventral side of the carcass; consists of a tough, fatty cut with retail cuts like short ribs and whole brisket.

Pork Primal Cuts

• Ham: Comprises the rump and hind leg; retail cuts include center slice and smoked ham.
• Loin: Located on both sides of the spine; includes loin chop and rib chop as retail options.
• Shoulder: Positioned on the upper and lower portion of the shoulder; includes arm steak and blade steak.
• Belly: Ventral to the ribs, high-fat content; retail cuts include spareribs and fresh side.

Lamb Primal Cuts

• Loin: Retail cuts include center slice and sirloin chop; versatile for various cooking methods.
• Rack: Positioned between the loin and leg; retail cuts include rib chops and loin roast.
• Shoulder: Contains ribs 1-4 and part of the carcass; includes arm chops and blade chops.

By-Products

• By-products are secondary animal products used in other products.
• Commonly recognized by-products include animal fat, connective tissues, and hides.

Meat Sales & Marketing

• Marketing aims to increase meat sales and enhance consumer experience.
• Programs classify carcasses based on quality to meet consumer expectations.
• Boxed beef programs are the most prevalent in meat marketing, emphasizing yield and quality.

Premium Programs

• Premium lamb and pork programs focus on sorting carcasses based on fat content and quality grades.
• Premium pork programs emphasize leanness due to the lack of an official pork quality grade.

Retail Supply Chains

• Focus on direct marketing to consumers through grocery stores.
• Brand recognition plays a significant role in consumer satisfaction and product variation.

Food Service Supply Chains

• Market meat to consumers through prepared settings like restaurants and cafeterias.
• Less variation in consumer satisfaction due to consistent quality and cooking practices.

Export Markets

• Crucial for the meat industry, providing cuts less favored by local consumers to areas where they are in demand.
• Enhances carcass value by meeting global consumer demand for various meat products.