Carcass Yield and Subprimal Cutout Value of Beef, High- and Low-Yielding Beef × Dairy, and Dairy Steers

Abstract

This study compared carcass yield and cutout value of conventional beef and dairy cattle to high-yielding (HY) and low-yielding (LY) crossbred beef × dairy cattle and identified the contribution of carcass regions to carcass yield andcutout value among beef × dairy crossbreds. Carcasses of conventional beef, beef × dairy crossbred, and dairy cattle were selected according to industry-average slaughter endpoints for their cattle type. Carcasses were fabricated at a commercial processing facility, and weights of carcass components were obtained. Post hoc subsampling was used to segregate HY and LY beef × dairy crossbreds based on subprimal yield. Multiple linear regression was used to assess carcass yield and sub-primal cutout value between the 4 cattle types (n=21 to 26 per cattle type). Beef cattle and HY crossbreds produced 1.59 to 3.04 percentage units greater (P<0.05) subprimal yield than LY crossbreds and dairy cattle. Dairy cattle produced at least 1.16 percentage units more (P<0.05) bone than any other cattle type. Subprimal to bone was not different (P>0.05) between HY crossbreds and beef cattle, and subprimal to fat was lesser (P<0.05) in HY crossbreds than beef cattle. Subprimal cutout value was more than 5 US dollars (USD)/45.4 kg different (P<0.05) between cattle types, which were ranked HY crossbreds > beef cattle > LY crossbreds > dairy cattle. In beef × dairy cattle, subprimal to bone in the round contributed most greatly to an increase (P=0.02), by 3.79 USD/45.4 kg, in subprimal cutout value. Together, these results suggested carcass value of beef × dairy cattle may be maximized when cattle are harvested at a lesser overall fatness than conventional beef cattle and when considerable muscling, especially in the round, is achieved.