National Beef Quality Audit – 2022: Instrument grading assessments of carcass characteristics of fed steers and heifers
The instrument grading assessment portion of the National Beef Quality Audit <b>(NBQA)</b>-2022 allowed for the evaluation of beef carcass traits over a 12-mo period. One week of instrument grading data was collected each month from 6 major beef processing companies from July 2021 to June 2022 (<i>n</i> = 4,418,768 carcasses). The sample pool was composed of 58.0% steer carcasses and 42.0% heifer carcasses, and the breed type distribution was 98.0% native, 1.6% dairy, and 0.3% <i>Bos indicus</i>. Means for USDA Yield Grade <b>(YG)</b> and YG factors were YG, 3.26, adjusted fat thickness, 1.55 cm, HCW, 400.6 kg, ribeye area, 91.6 cm<sup>2</sup>, and KPH, 2.1%. Frequency distribution of USDA YG was YG 1 = 7.87%, YG 2 = 31.70%, YG 3 = 40.03%, YG 4 = 17.07%, and YG 5 = 3.35%. Mean marbling score was Modest<sup>16</sup>, and the distribution of USDA quality grades was Prime = 8.19%, Choice = 74.84%, Select = 15.68%, and other = 1.31%. Frequency of carcasses grading Prime on Monday (10.89%), a 3.27%-point increase compared to the Prime average for the other days of the week (7.72%), demonstrates the potential advantage of additional postmortem chilling over the weekend from Friday and/or Saturday slaughter days. Comparisons of breed type and sex class revealed differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) in marbling with dairy heifers (Modest<sup>55</sup>) > native heifers (Modest<sup>31</sup>) > dairy steers (Modest<sup>12</sup>) > native steers (Modest<sup>03</sup>), and ribeye area with native steers (93.3 cm<sup>2</sup>) > native heifers (90.9 cm<sup>2</sup>) > dairy steers (81.8 cm<sup>2</sup>) > dairy heifers (80.3 cm<sup>2</sup>). Month-to-month frequency distributions in beef carcass traits revealed numerical differences in marbling, USDA quality grade distribution, HCW, and adjusted fat thicknesses. Percentage distribution of dark cutting carcasses revealed numerically higher incidences during the summer and fall seasons compared to winter and spring. Findings from the instrument grading assessment of the NBQA-2022 provide the beef industry with the most comprehensive and current beef carcass quality and yield information available.
Authors
- J. M. Scheffler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-8820)
- K. E. Belk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7171-8824)
- Phillip D. Bass (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6498-393X)
- A. J. Garmyn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3821-7873)
- Crystal Waters
- Keayla M Harr
- J.W. Savell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0354-1286)
- D. B. Griffin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7002-285X)
- J.A. Scanga
- Mahesh N. Nair (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2917-1028)
- T. D. Pringle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3273-4284)
- Travis C Tennant (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1298-0099)
- T.E. Lawrence (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7088-5455)
- T. G. O’Quinn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7639-3873)
- Benjamin Mark Bohrer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8807-6912)
- Alexander M. Stelzleni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3210-8775)
- J. M. Gonzalez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1905-9294)
- R. J. Maddock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6893-676X)
- Morgan M. Pfeiffer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2854-5419)
- Jessica A. Pempek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5977-2086)
- Bailey N Harsh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7146-4182)
- Gretchen Gayle Mafi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6250-8211)
- C. R. Kerth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9183-7919)
- K. R. Underwood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0696-0785)
- Kerri B. Gehring (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9274-1006)
- Sydni E Borders
- Tracy L. Scheffler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1031-5041)
- Lyda G Garcia
- Erin S. Beyer
- Trent E Schwartz
- Loni W Lucherk
- Christopher Alfred Carr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2360-5922)
- Thachary R Mayer
Institutions
- Oklahoma State University (US)
- University of Idaho (US)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- University of Georgia (US)
- Texas A&M University System (US)
- South Dakota State University (US)
- West Texas A&M University (US)
- Kansas State University (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- California State University, Chico (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- North Dakota State University (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
- Texas A&M University (US)
- Colorado State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Translational Animal Science
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf097
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.19