1. Livestock Judging CDE Market Steers
Ag. 1 Spring 2008

2. Student Objectives
Learn and Understand the steps to judging market steers.
Understand the Ranking of Traits for Market Steers.
Learn to Evaluate Degree of Muscling.
Learn to Evaluate Degree of Finish.

3. Student Objectives
Learn to Evaluate Soundness and Structural Correctness.
Learn to Evaluate Balance.
Learn to Evaluate Frame Size.
Judge two sample classes.

4. Steps to Judging Market Steers
Judging market steers should always start at the ground and work up and start at the rear and work forward. The animals in the class should be ranked based on the traits of importance they possess, and contestants should always evaluate the most important traits first. Contestants should also eliminate any easy placings in the class, and place the remainder of the class based on the volume of the important traits.

5. Ranking of Traits for Market Steers
Steers today should be extra thick, medium framed, and adequately finished. For market steers, the ranking of traits in the order of their importance is as follows:
Degree of muscling
Degree of finish (fat cover)
Growth capacity
Soundness and structural correctness
Balance
Frame size

6. Growth Curves for Market Steers

7. Evaluating Degree of Muscling
Determining degree of muscling should start with evaluating thickness through the center of the quarter. The second view should be an evaluation of base width. A steer that is heavy muscled will typically have good width between its rear feet when it stands and walks. The final view should be evaluation of muscle expression over the top. Heavy muscled steers will have a butterfly shape down the top.

8. Evaluating Degree of Muscling
Thin Muscle Average Muscle Thick Muscle Super Thick

9. Evaluating Degree of Finish
Market steers require a certain level of exterior fat to achieve the amount of intramuscular fat, or marbling, necessary to receive a quality grade of Choice. Steers excessive in fat will be discounted for receiving a yield grade of 4 or 5. The most ideal level of exterior fat for a market steer is inches. Areas to consider when evaluating degree of finish include the top line, underline, body depth, brisket, tailhead, udder or cod, shoulder, and over the ribs.

10. Evaluating Degree of Finish
Too Fat

11. Evaluating Degree of Finish
The appearance of a smooth top, the fullness behind the shoulder, and the looseness through the underline reveal that this heifer is over finished. Fat cattle will be uniformly deep from front to back, and full in their brisket and cod. Cattle that are over finished will also have large patches of fat on each side of the tailhead.

12. Evaluating Degree of Finish
Too Fat

13. Evaluating Degree of Finish
This next steer does not have enough fat to achieve an acceptable quality grade. This steer has prominent indentions behind the shoulders, is very clean over the ribs, is tight through the underline, and free of fat in the brisket, cod, and around the tailhead.

14. Evaluating Degree of Finish
Too Much Muscle

15. Evaluating Degree of Finish
The full look of the brisket on the left is near ideal, while the empty brisket on the right reveals a steer that is probably lacking finish.

16. Evaluating Degree of Finish
The degree of fill in the cod for the steer on the left is very good, while the fat around the tailhead of the steer on the right may be too excessive.

17. Evaluating Growth Capacity
Because steers are sold by the pound, it is important that they have good width, depth, and length for maximum feeding capacity. width is determined by evaluating width through the chest, base width at the ground (width between the front and rear feet when the animal stands or walks), and spring of rib. Depth should be uniform from front to back and fit proportionally with length and width.

18. Evaluating Growth Capacity
The steer in this picture has good growth capacity. It is wide based, long bodied, uniform in its body depth, and has an open rib shape.

19. Evaluating Soundness and Structural Correctness
Because market steers are terminal and will not be retained for a long time within the herd, some would argue that don't need to be sound. However, a lack of soundness will result in limited trips to feed and water and decreased growth.
So soundness and structural correctness is important in market steers.

20. Evaluating Soundness and Structural Correctness
Market steers that are sound and structural correct will have flexible, clean, flat joints, long powerful strides, strong pasterns, good set to their hocks and knees, and big feet that sit flatly on the ground.
They will also have long, straight top lines and long, level rumps.

21. Evaluating Soundness and Structural Correctness

22. Poor Structure
Good Structure

23. Evaluating Balance
Balance is having the correct portions of width, depth, and length. width depth, and length should be in equal proportions that blend together.

24. Evaluating Balance
This market steer is a good example of an unbalanced steer. It is too heavy fronted and too short and light in its rump. Also, this steer is too shallow in its rear flank and is short bodied.

25. Evaluating Balance
This steer is well balanced through the front end. It is very clean necked and has a smooth shoulder design.

26. Evaluating Balance
This picture illustrates a well-balanced market steer. All of the parts (width, depth, and length) fit together nicely.

27. Evaluating Frame Size
This optimum steer for today's market should be medium framed and finish at about 1,200 pounds. Large framed steers will get too big before they develop the finish that is necessary to receive Choice quality grade. Small framed steers will get too fat before they reach the ideal market weight.

28. Evaluating Frame Size
This steer is too big, weighing 1,400 pounds and lacking finish.

29. Evaluating Frame Size
This small framed heifer has matured too quickly, and at only 900 pounds is already over finished.

30. Evaluating Frame Size
This medium framed steer fits well with the demands of the cattle industry. It has excellent muscling, adequate finish, good structure, and good balance at a finish weight of 1,250 pounds.

31. Example Market Steer Class 12 3 4

32. Example Market Steer Class 1

33. Example Market Steer Class 12

34. Example Market Steer Class 13

35. Example Market Steer Class 14

36. Example Market Steer Class 12 3 4

37. Official Placing 2 - 4 - 3 - 1 Placings by Traits: Cuts 3 - 5 - 6
Muscle
Finish
Capacity
Structure
Balance
Frame
Cuts

38. Official Placing 2 4 3 1

39. Example Market Steer Class 21 2 4 3

40. Example Market Steer Class 21

41. Example Market Steer Class 2

42. Example Market Steer Class 23

43. Example Market Steer Class 24

44. Example Market Steer Class 21 2 4 3

45. Official Placing 4 - 1 - 2 -3 Placings by Traits: Cuts 4 - 3 - 6
Muscle
Finish
Capacity
Structure
Balance
Cuts

46. Official Placing 4 1 3 2