1. Ag Fact! 4/23

2. Ag Fact! 4/23

3. Livestock Judging 1.0 Beef Cattle
Sutherlin AST
Adapted from University of Kentucky Judging PowerPoints and Georgia Ag Ed

4. Basics of Livestock Judging
Evaluate market animals
Evaluate breeding animals
Do so based on industry wants

5. Steps to Judging Beef
1. Evaluate cattle from the ground up and from the rump (rear) forward 2. Evaluate the most important traits first 3. Eliminate any easy placings in the class 4. Place the class based on the volume of the important traits

6. Judging Market Steers Ranking Traits Degree of muscling
Degree of finish (fat cover)
Growth capacity
Structure
Balance
Frame size

7. Evaluate Muscling Muscling Muscle is the product of meat animals
More muscle means a more valuable animal
Yield Grade
Lower Yield Grade = more product

8. Evaluate Muscling
Degree of muscling in steers is best determined by evaluating:
Thickness through the center of quarter
Width between rear feet when steer stands and(or) walks
Shape over the top (butterfly shape desired)

9. Evaluate Muscling Thin Muscle Average Muscle Thick Muscle Super Thick
Very narrow width
Average
width
Good
width
Very good
width

10. Evaluate Finish Finish Finish is the amount of fat on the animal
More finish means better tasting product
Marbling is intramuscular fat
Quality Grade
“Prime rib”
Animals finish front to back

11. Evaluate Finish
Areas to consider when evaluating degree of finish include:
Top line
Underline
Body depth
Brisket
Tailhead
Udder or cod
Shoulder
Over the ribs

12. Evaluate Finish Miss Fatty Smooth over top Fat tailhead 950 lbs
0.8 inches backfat
Choice 50
4.0 yield grade
Udder fat
Loose underline
Full brisket

13. Evaluate Finish Trim tailhead Clean over ribs $ 1,250 lbs
Mister Muscle
$ 1,250 lbs
$ 0.2 inches backfat
$ 1.6 yield grade
$ Standard quality grade
Empty
brisket
Indentation
behind
shoulder
Tight, clean underline
Empty cod
Shallow rear flank

14. Evaluate Finish Nice brisket Too trim Full brisket (near ideal)
Empty brisket (lacks finish)

15. Evaluate Growth Capacity
Market steers with high growth capacity will be:
Wide through the chest
Wide between feet when walking or standing
Uniform in their body depth
Open through the ribs
Long bodied

16. Evaluating Growth Capacity
Good growth capacity
Open rib shape
Uniform body depth
Wide
chested
Long bodied
Wide walking

17. Evaluate Soundness Sound and structurally correct animals will have:
Long, straight top line
Long, level rumps
Flexible, clean, flat joints
Long powerful stride
Good set to hocks and knees

18. Sound and structurally correct
Evaluate Soundness
Good set
to hock
Sound and structurally correct
Good set
to knee
Strong pastern
Strong pastern
Big, square feet

19. Evaluate Soundness Poor structure Short, steep rump Weak top
Long, straight top line
Good structure
Long, level rump

20. Evaluate Balance
Balance refers to market steers having the correct portions of width, depth, and length
Width, depth, and length should be in equal proportions that blend together

21. Evaluate Balance NO BALANCE ALERT ! Too short
Too light in hindquarters
Heavy fronted
Too shallow in rear flank

22. Evaluate Balance
Clean
necked
Good
fronted
steer
Smooth shoulder

23. All the parts (width, depth, and length) fit together nicely
Evaluate Balance
Well Balanced Steer
All the parts (width, depth, and length) fit together nicely

24. Evaluate Frame Size
The optimum steer for today’s market should be medium framed and finish at about 1,200 lbs
Large framed steers will get too big before developing adequate finish
Small framed steers will be early maturing and get too fat before they reach optimum weight

25. 1,400 lb large framed steer with no finish
Evaluate Frame Size
I=m too big
1,400 lb large framed steer with no finish

26. 900 lb small framed steer with too much fat
Evaluate Frame Size
I=m too small
900 lb small framed steer with too much fat

27. 1,250 lb medium framed steer with proper finish
Evaluate Frame Size
0.4 Backfat $ 13.5 in2 Ribeye $ Low choice quality grade $ 2.8 Yield grade
I=m just right
1,250 lb medium framed steer with proper finish

28. Example Market Steer Class I

29. 1 2 3 4
Placings By Traits

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

31. Example Market Steer Class II

32. 1 2 3 4

33. 1 2 3 4 Official Placing: 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 Cuts: 4 - 3 - 6
Placings By Traits
Official Placing:
Cuts:
Muscle:
Finish:
Capacity:
Structure:
Balance:

34. Judging Beef Heifers Soundness and structural correctness
Capacity or volume
Style and balance
Degree of muscling
Femininity

35. Evaluate Soundness Soundness and Structural Correctness
More important in breeding animals than market animals
Breeding animals produce for longer and need to be able to walk/move years more than market animals

36. Evaluate Soundness
When evaluating structure and soundness, attention should be given to the following areas:
Feet
Pasterns
Hocks
Knees
Rump
Shoulder

37. Evaluate Soundness - Feet -
Poor depth
of heel
Feet turned out (not square)
Hoof-skin junction too close to ground

38. Evaluate Soundness - Feet -
Excellent
foot
Good foot size that is square
Good depth
of heel
Foot sits flatly on surface

39. Evaluate Soundness - Pastern -
Pastern too weak
Pastern too straight

40. Evaluate Soundness - Pastern -
Excellent
pasterns
Flex with strength
Nice set to pasterns

41. Evaluate Soundness - Hocks -
Too straight
(post-legged)
Sickle hocked
Cow hocked

42. Evaluate Soundness - Hocks -
Excellent
hocks
Correct set to hocks
(square, flat boned,
powerful)

43. Evaluate Soundness - Rump -
Short and steep rumped from hooks to pins

44. Evaluate Soundness - Rump -
Excellent
rump
Long rumped and level from hooks to pins

45. Evaluate Soundness - Shoulder -
Too straight
in shoulder
Too coarse through shoulder

46. Evaluate Soundness - Shoulder -
Excellent
shoulder
Nice set and smoothness to shoulder

47. Evaluate Capacity Capacity (volume) is determined by three factors:
Body width (rib shape)
Heifers should be wide bodied with good spring of rib
Depth of body
When viewed from the side, body depth should be at least 1/2 the distance from the top of the back to the ground
Length of body
Heifers should be long bodied

48. Evaluate Capacity Snake Alert Short bodied Shallow rear flank
Narrow bodied
(no spring of rib)
Shallow rear flank

49. Evaluate Capacity Excellent, wide open rib shape
Excellent, uniform body depth

50. Evaluate Style and Balance
Style and balance is related to how well all the pieces of the heifer fit together. Points to consider include:
Straightness of top line
Balance between body width, depth, and length
Smoothness and angularity of front
Blending of the shoulder, ribs, and hip

51. Evaluate Style and Balance
Unbalanced Alert
Coarse, opened shoulder
Coarse shoulder
Thick neck and wasty dewlap
Short necked
Pinched in forerib

52. Evaluate Style and Balance
Good front-end
Excellent style and balance
Smooth, angular front
Straight top line
Long, clean neck
Width, depth, and length balanced

53. Evaluate Muscling
To determine degree of muscling, evaluate the following:
Thickness through the center of the quarter when viewed from the rear
Width between rear feet when the heifer walks or stands
Shape over the top

54. Evaluate Muscling Light Muscled Average Muscled Heavy Muscled
Very narrow
Average width
Good width

55. Great top shape (heavy muscled)
Evaluate Muscling
Great top shape (heavy muscled)

56. Evaluate Femininity
When evaluating femininity in heifers, attention should be given to:
Refinement of head
Length of the neck
Angularity of the neck and shoulder
Blending of the shoulder to the forerib

57. Too thick through neck and shoulder
Evaluate Femininity
Coarse head
Too thick through neck and shoulder
Not feminine
Is it a heifer or
a steer?

58. Evaluate Femininity Not feminine Too much shoulder
Excess hide in dewlap

59. Evaluate Femininity Long, clean neck Refined head (narrow muzzle)
Clean, angular shoulder
Good blending
of shoulder
to forerib
Super feminine

60. Example Beef Heifer Class I

61. 1 2 3 4

62. 1 2 3 4
Official Placing:
Cuts:

63. Example Beef Heifer Class II

64. 1 2 3 4

65. 1 2 3 4
Official Placing:
Cuts:

66. Market Steers Class III

67. Market Steers III - #1

68. Market Steers III - #2

69. Market Steers III - #3

70. Market Steers III - #4

71. Market Steers Class III

72. Market Steers Class III
Feedlot Steers Class #2
Evaluated by: Celina Johnson
Placing:
Cuts: 3-4-5
I placed this class of feedlot steers The red steer wins as he best combines yield and quality grade. He shows the most natural shape down his top, over the loin and is thicker and more expressive through his quarter. Additionally, he is more structurally sound, being more neatly laid through the shoulder than 3. He should hang the carcass receiving a lower numerical yield than is longer sided. However he is fatter and straighter through his shoulder than 2, so he is second.
Nevertheless it is 3 over 4 in the middle pair. The black steer is the thicker topped, wider based steer of the pair that should produce the more muscular carcass. I realize the Hereford appearing steer is sounder made, however he is lighter muscled, being flatter through the quarter and narrower based when viewed from the rear, so he is third.
Yet in the bottom pair, its 4 over 1. 4 is more market ready as he shows more evidence of finish over his rib, around his tailhead and is fuller in the flank. Additionally he is higher volumed, have more depth and dimension to his rib. Yes, the yellow steer is leaner, but he is the furthest from his endpoint and should hang the least desirable carcass of the four, so he is last.

73. Angus Heifers Class A

74. Angus Class A #1

75. Angus Class A #2

76. Angus Class A #3

77. Angus Class A #4

78. Angus Heifers Class A