Livestock & Poultry Evaluation & ShowmanshipObj: Describe the grading system for various feeder/finish livestock.

Beef Cattle Classes

Age Classes Calves: <1 year old Cattle: 1 year + Veal Calves: <3 months old Feeder Calves: 6 months-1 year old

Sex Classes Steer Heifer Cow Bull Stag

Beef Cattle Grades

Quality Grades Prime Choice Select Standard Commercial Utility Cutter Canner

Yield Grades Yield Grade 1-5

Beef Cattle Grades

Beef Cattle Grades

Quality grades for slaughter cattle are determined by the animal’s age, muscling, and the amount of marbling or fat distribution on lean meat Max. age of Standard, Select, Choice or Prime grades

is 42 months Commercial grade is over 42 months Utility, Cutter or Canner grades have no age limit There is no Prime grade for slaughter cows Adequate marbling must be present for tenderness

in the higher quality grades Prime grades have maximum marbling

Beef Cattle Grades

Yeild grades are affected by muscling and amount of fat Yeild 1- Best muscling with least fat waste Yield 2,3,4 Yield 5- Worst grade, less muscle and more fat waste

Grading

Feeder cattle grades are determined by frame size, muscle thickness and thriftiness

Slaughter cattle have both quality and yield grades

BEEF! It’s what’s for dinner!

Help educate consumers about grades of beef

Create an advertisement about Beef Quality Grades

Define each quality grade

Provide pictures and helpful facts for consumers

Swine

Swine Classes

Use Classes Slaughter: to be killed and sold as meat Feeder: to be fed to heavier weights before

slaughter

Sex Classes Barrow Gilt Sow Boar Stag

Swine Grades

Quality & Yield determine USDA grades for slaughter swine U.S. No. 1 U.S. No. 2 U.S. No. 3 U.S. No. 4 U.S. Utility

Logical slaughter potential and thriftiness are the basis for feeder pig grades

Swine Grades

Grade is determine by the percent of carcass weight made up of ham, loin, Boston butt and picnic shoulder

Backfat and degree of muscling are used to evaluate live hogs for yield

Swine Grades

Feeder Swine USDA Grades from U.S. No.

1-U.S. Utility, which is diseased or unthrifty, has a head that appears too big for the body and has wrinkled skin. U.S. No. 1 has thick muscling, large frame, and is trim

Potential for feeding out to slaughter weight and grade affects feeder pig grades

Slaughter Barrows & Gilts USDA grades from U.S. No. 1

down to U.S. No. 4

Muscling from thick, average, and thin is last. U.S. No. 1 must be no less than average muscling. Thick muscling compensates for or effectively subtract 0.25 inch of backfat, and thin muscling adds 0.25 inch of backfat to the formula.

Backfat- maximum backfat for U.S. No. 3 is 1.49 or 1.75 if thick muscling