Young. Rentfrow, Gregg. This can be determined on a hot carcass weight or a cold carcass weight. Dressing percentage is the percentage of meat and bone on the animal compared to its live weight and is influenced by many factors such as muscle score and fat cover to name a few (Table 1). Ours was 24% on a LLL Timber grandson. This leaves approximately 155 pounds of meat, including steaks, roasts, and ground product, that will be packaged for consumption. For example, according to the National Cattlemens Beef Association publication entitled Beef Cut: Primal and Sub primal Weights and Yields, the round typically makes up 22% of the hot carcass weight. Consumers who buy a live animal from a local cattle producer or 4-H member for custom processing are often surprised by the amount of beef they receive, the amount of freezer space needed and that they did not get back the entire live weight of the animal in retail cuts. Access Date: June 10, 2020. After a carcass is cooled, it will be further processed into the retail cuts you bring home. These include use of anabolic implants and feed additives called beta-agonists. USDA 4 for goat kids from about 35% to 55% with 45% being average. Conditions in the cooler and the external fat thickness on a carcass directly impact cooler shrink. Livestock procedures and breeders evaluate livestock for the correct time to market their animals, and order buyers and packers evaluate livestock for correctness of condition and red meat yield. If body fat is trimmed off, then the dressing percentage may be similar to other breeds.Dairy cattle commonly yield three percentage points less in dressing percentage than beef cattle. The hot carcass weight includes bones, excess fat and moisture loss that will not be packed and wrapped for home consumption. Thiboumery, Arion; Kristine Jepsen; and Kristi Hetland. Some species, such as goats, can see up to 10 percent cooler shrink. The factors affecting dressing percentage are summarized in Table 5. The primary estimate of fatness is fat thickness at the 12th rib. Note estimations may vary by 25 pounds or more. It is important to provide consumers with the knowledge that how they choose to have their beef fabricated into retail cuts can play a major role in the total weight of beef they receive from the meat processor. To better understand the amount of meat you may expect from a market hog, the first step is understanding the difference in live weight compared to carcass weight. Carcass dressing percentage and cooler shrink vary among species and type of animals. Print. We teach, learn, lead and serve, connecting people with the University of Wisconsin, and engaging with them in transforming lives and communities. In press. Sci. On average, dressing percentages are 0.75% lower in March, April, September and October; and are 1.5% lower in November, December, January and February. Each primal cut is then further fabricated into different retail cuts. Beef cattle have a wider range of market weights compared to other species due to differences in type and maturity. Tong, and B.C. Chilled Carcass Weight * Carcass Cutting Yield = pounds of take-home meat. The process is monitored so that cold shortening is avoided. In contrast, technologies have been developed to increase the proportion of muscle in cattle. Contact phone number for South Dakota State University: Animal Science (B.S.) The percentage of carcass weight remaining as take-home retail meat cuts is called the carcass cutting yield. Understanding Beef Carcass Yields and Losses During Processing, Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, Food for Profit: Marketing Your Food Product, Building an Emergency Response Plan for Livestock Producers, Advantages of Marketing Your Beef Directly, High Quality Meat Starts with Animal Care, Food for Profit: Home-Style Kitchen Food Processing (Limited Food Establishments), Food for Profit: Working with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Systems (HACCP). Pasture-raised pigs can take an additional month or two to reach similar sizes. Yield grade identifies the difference in the yield of lean red meat to waste fat based on the following scale: USDA 1 Most desirable, trim The higher yielding animal is worth an extra $0.92 per cwt on a live weight basis. 1989. Quality is important in meat products to insure customer satisfaction. Dressing Percentage What is the formula for dressing percentage? It is important to ask your meat processor if they are weighing the carcasses hot or cold and adjust the price of the meat accordingly. 56th Annual University of Alberta Feeders Day Report, p. 64-66. This article will discuss how to estimate how much meat you will receive when purchasing an animal to harvest. This "59%" represents the meat and skeletal portion of an animal compared to its live weight. University of Tennessee Extension. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Relationship of Age, Liveweight, and Fat Level to Dressing Percentage. For example, a 1400-pound animal with a hot carcass weight of 880 pounds has a dressing percentage of approximately 63%, which is calculated as follows: (880 hot carcass weight 1400-pound live weight) x 100 = 63%. A comparison of four system for finishing beef heifers. J. Anim. Dressing percentages will vary by 1.5 to 3 percentage point throughout the year. Ray, Federick K. Buyig Beef for Home Freezer.Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service AnSi-3401. UNL web framework and quality assurance provided by the, Apply to the University of NebraskaLincoln, Give to the University of NebraskaLincoln, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Brianna Buseman, Extension Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Lincoln, The National Academies Press: Agriculture. Kids with higher fat scores generally have higher dressing percentages than kids of the same liveweight with lower fat scores. The difference in dressing percentages will be related to the difference in shrinkage that occurs while the animals are being transported. The first cuts made to a whole carcass are to divide the carcass into primal cuts (Figure 1). Educating your consumers, listening to their expectations and providing a consistent beef product will help maintain repeat customers of your healthy and nutritious food source. The absence of the organs and KPH fat may lower the dressing percentage by 4 to 5 percent. Retrieved from pork.org/facts/stats/consumption-and-expenditures/typical-market-pig-today/ Access Date: August 27, 2020. Im putting on more carcass weight and at the end of the day, pounds are a large portion of the value of that animal, Radunz says. 1989. The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded. Heavier muscled cattle have higher dressing percentage. Aberle, Elton David. Mathison. Adjustment Factor = -.2 This module explains why dressing percentage is important and discusses the factors that affect it. The factors that play a big role include gut fill, shrink, cleanliness, fat cover, degree of muscling and finishing ration forage content. Typical Market Pig Today. Also, yearlings that have been in the feedlot for only 60 to 80 days start coming to market in the late fall. retail) cuts. Its often referred to simply as yield though its not at all the same as Yield Grade. The US carcass weight includes the weight of the kidney, pelvic and heart fat, which is not included in the Canadian carcass weight. Connecting people with the University of Wisconsin. J. Anim. Carcass Muscularity Superior carcass muscling can increase the yield of a carcass. The drop in dressing percentage relates to the size of the fetus, the uterus and embryonic tissue and fluids. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is used to assess total fat on the carcass. The average live weight for market hogs is approximately 285 lbs. ( 792 1250 ) x 100% = 63.36% Check out the MSU Dairy Management Program! The carcass is usually considered to be the weight remaining after removal of blood, hide, tail, head, lower legs, and all visceral organs. Many reports will indicate that Low Dressing cows will be discounted $8 to $15 per hundredweight compared to High Dressing cows and will be discounted $5 to $7 per hundredweight compared to Average Dressing cows. A 1400-pound beef animal will yield a hot carcass weight of approximately 880 pounds. Once a hog has been harvested the carcass is split down the spine into two halves for easier storage in the cooler for the chilling process. Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: 2023 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, Non-Discrimination Policy & How to File a Complaint, Possible Retail Cuts from each Primal Cut, A carcass is comprised of lean (meat), fat (adipose), and bone, Feet, blood, and viscera are not parts of a carcass, Carcass cutting yield is just one factor that influences the amount of take-home product, Pork purchased from locker plants is typically sold as whole or halves, Live weight x typical dressing percent = hot carcass weight, Hot carcass weight x (100 shrink) = chilled carcass weight, Chilled carcass weight x carcass cutting yield percent = pounds of take home product. Dressing percentage is calculated by dividing the warm carcass weight by the shrunk live weight of the animal and expressing the result as a percentage. Therefore for the YG3 steer, even though the dressing percentage is higher and the carcass weight is heavier, the total return could be less. Price, M.A. Weighing conditions affect the live weight, especially if the live weight is determined at the farm versus at the packing plant after unloading. When determining roughly how much meat you should expect from a half of beef, take the pounds of meat previously calculated for the entire carcass and divide by two. What is the best percentage of loss from hanging to package weight that you have achieved? Dressing percentage The percentage of the live animal weight that becomes the carcass weight at slaughter. These numbers correspond to a live weight taken at the packing plant for a yield grade 3 steer carcass that will grade choice, and is finished on a high grain ration, (not more than 20 percent roughage) and the carcass is weighed while still hot, i.e. Other factors may affect carcass yield, but these are controlled by the packing plant rather than the feedlot, and therefore, the producer price is not directly influenced by these practices. Ag. Commercially bred hogs have a dressing percentage of 70-73% 3 (including the skin) which yields approximately 55% 4 in . Muscling can be estimated visually by a number of traits. Newman, A.K.W. PYG Adj. The remaining bone, adipose (fat), and lean (meat) makes up the post-harvest hanging weight (hot carcass weight). Schaeffer, A.K.W. Young. USDA 5 Least desirable, excessively fat. For instance, the amount of bone-in versus boneless cuts, trimming of retail cuts and the percent of fat of the ground beef will affect retail yield. No consumer likes surprise fees tacked on to an ever increasing bill for food commodities. Fahmy, M.H. McCully shares this example: if a 1,300-pound (lb.) For example, one breed may typically have a higher dressing percentage because that breed tends to carry more finish at a given weight. PYG Adj. 66:2180-2184. Meaningful comparisons of dressing percentages among breeds are difficult to make without knowing the reasons for the differences. Thus, the adjustment for every 1 percent change above or below 3.5 percent is .2 of a yield grade. Cooler shrink is important to understand when selling meat by halves and quarters to customers.
