Intro to Beef Flashcards
What are the nutritional aspects of beef?
-High nutrient density
-High-quality protein
-Contains animal fat and cholesterol
How much meat does a person in the US consume annually?
67 pounds
The beef industry is made up of a series of what that operate independently?
-Producers
-Processors
-Consumers
Cattle are sold on a…
Carcass bias
Each carcass is individually…
-Weighed
-Graded for quality
-Yield
-Priced
Why does each carcass receive an individual price?
There are different prices for different yield and quality grades
Who sets the price for cow-calf producers?
The packer
The consumer controls what in the beef industry?
The sale price of beef from supply and demand
Beef producers make money based on what?
The quality and quantity of muscle produced
What is the aim of the beef industry?
To maximize the production of high-quality beef and minimize anything that may negatively impact the quality or quantity of the beef
What can cause a negative impact on quality?
-Poor nutrition
-Poor housing
-Poor handling
What aspects of meat are affected by how the cattle are treated?
-Color
-Juiciness
-Tenderness
What is the optimum animal handling to optimize beef quality?
-Minimize stress
-Optimise movement to decrease bruising or injury
-Appropriate vaccinations to decrease disease incidence
-Adequate nutrition
What are the nutritional aspects we want to feed beef cattle?
High in energy and protein to build muscle
Where do we want to give vaccinations?
In specific locations that will not cause trauma to muscles of high value (ie. neck)
What age is considered bob veal?
1-3 weeks
What age is considered veal?
4-5 months
What age is considered calf?
Up to 9 months
What age is considered beef?
Over 12 months but mostly 2.5-3.5 years old
What is looked at for the quality grade of a carcass?
-The maturity of the carcass
-Marbling of the meat
At what age is meat automatically low-grade?
Over 3.5 years old
What happens to beef that is over 3.5 years old?
It becomes dryer and tougher
What is marbling?
The amount of intramuscular fat
What is looked at for the yield grade of a carcass?
-Estimate of the muscle-to-fat percentage of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts from the 4 beef primal cuts
What scale is yield grade based on?
1-5, 1 being leaner and heavily muscled
What are the quality grades in order?
-Prime
-Choice
-Select
-Standard
-Commercial
-Utility
-Cutter
-Canner
Premiums are based on…
Grade and yield
What does it mean when a grade is a negative price?
The producers are charged by the packer due to bad quality.
