Abstract
Simple SummaryCattle born in the dairy industry are a very important source of beef. This study evaluated the carcasses of cattle born to dairy cows and sired by a range of Angus and Hereford sires. Sire affected most carcass traits of their progeny, particularly size and fat traits. The heaviest sire had 46 kg greater carcass weight compared with the lightest sire, equivalent to NZ$266 greater value per progeny. Carcass fat traits (rib fat depth and marble scores) were the most variable among sires, indicating possibility of selection. Thus, using beef-breed sires chosen for greater carcass weight has the potential to increase the meat production of cattle born on dairy farms, while maintaining adequate fat levels and carcass quality to receive optimum payment.There is interest in increasing the carcass value of surplus calves born in the dairy industry that are reared for beef production in New Zealand. This experiment evaluated the carcass of Angus and Hereford sires via progeny testing of beef-cross-dairy offspring grown on hill country pasture. Weight and carcass traits were analyzed from 1015 animals and 1000 carcasses of 73 sires. The mean of the progeny group means was 567 kg for live weight at slaughter, 277 kg for carcass weight, 48.9% for dressing-out, 240.3 cm for carcass length, 73.6 cm2 for eye muscle area, 7.4 mm for rib fat depth, 0.91 for marble score, 3.05 for fat color score, 3.01 for meat color score, and 5.62 for ultimate pH. Sire affected (p < 0.05) carcass size and fat traits, but not fat color, meat color, or ultimate pH (p > 0.05). There was a 46 kg increase in carcass weight between the best and worst sires tested. Carcass fat traits were the most variable among sires. The use of genetically superior beef-breed sires over dairy-breed cows has the potential to increase carcass weights from surplus calves born in the dairy industry, while maintaining adequate fat levels and carcass quality.
Highlights
An animal suited for beef production should grow quickly and produce a heavy carcass with an appropriate amount of subcutaneous fat which in turn needs to be of suitable eating quality for a particular market
3% of carcasses were classified as “L” fat class grade. These results indicate that adequate amounts of rib fat depth can be achieved with beef-cross-dairy progeny when grazed on pasture
There was a 46-kg increase in carcass weight between the best and worst sires tested, and selecting sires with heavier carcass weight will result in a greater economic return to the farm
Summary
An animal suited for beef production should grow quickly and produce a heavy carcass with an appropriate amount of subcutaneous fat which in turn needs to be of suitable eating quality for a particular market. In the New Zealand meat payment schedule, carcass weight and fat grade drive the payment to farmers [1]. Farmers are rewarded for producing heavy carcasses [3], with high saleable meat yields and within some constraints in terms of quality and appearance. Meat quality characteristics are those attributes of the beef product that determine the acceptability and value for the consumer [4], including visual aspects such as meat and fat color, as well as intramuscular fat in the muscle (commercially known as marbling) which is related to cooking and eating quality [5,6].
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