Search

The National Beef Quality Audit - 2022 serves as a benchmark of the current fed steer and heifer population of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. In-plant cooler assessments and collections of beef carcass data took place from July 2021 to November 2022. During in-plant evaluations, 10% of 1-d production was surveyed for quality and yield indicating characteristics of fed beef carcasses ( n =  9,746 beef carcasses). Distributions of sex classes among sampled carcasses were steer (65.0%) and heifer (35.0%), whereas distributions of breed type were native (87.7%), dairy (11.3%), and Bos indicus (0.9%). Mean values were observed for USDA Yield Grades ( YG ; 3.3), USDA Quality Grade ( QG ; Choice 16 ), marbling score (Small 98 ), ribeye area (91.0 cm 2 ), adjusted fat thickness (1.49 cm), hot carcass weight (401.9 kg), and KPH (2.5%). Mean overall maturity was A 66 , with a mean lean maturity of A 56 and mean skeletal maturity of A 72 . There were 28.1% of carcasses identified for use in a USDA-certified beef G-Schedule Program. Defects, such as dark cutting and blood splash, were observed at 1.8% and 0.5%, respectively. Distributions of USDA YG were YG 1 (8.2%), YG 2 (30.7%), YG 3 (40.2%), YG 4 (16.6%), and YG 5 (4.3%). USDA QGs were observed at 7.5% Prime, 69.2% Choice, 16.4% Select, and 6.8% other. The results of this study provide an updated look at the current grading trends of beef carcasses in the United States to drive progress in the fed beef industry., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

The objective was to determine the effects of ad libitum-fed roughage-based diets or limit-fed high-energy diets on growth performance, behavior, health, and digestion in newly received growing cattle and subsequent implications on feedlot growth performance and carcass characteristics. In experiment 1, 409 crossbred heifers (initial body weight [BW] = 279 ± 24 kg) in 32 pens were used in a randomized block design. Heifers were fed one of two dietary treatments: a total mixed ration with 0.99 Mcal net energy for gain (NE g )/kg dry matter (DM) fed ad libitum (0.99AL) or 1.32 Mcal NE g /kg DM limit-fed at 85% of intake of heifers fed 0.99AL (1.32LF85%). Both diets contained 40% DM as a branded wet corn gluten feed. In experiment 2, 370 crossbred heifers (initial BW = 225 ± 20 kg) were used in a randomized block design and were fed a diet formulated to contain 0.99 Mcal of NE g /kg DM for ad libitum intake or a diet formulated to contain 1.32 Mcal of NE g /kg DM and fed at 2.2% of BW daily (DM basis; 1.32LF2.2). For experiments 1 and 2, treatment integrity was maintained through the finishing phase where cattle were fed a common diet. Cattle were sorted by BW into heavy and light groups prior to finishing, with light cattle fed longer than heavy cattle to reach similar harvest BW. In experiment 3, eight ruminally cannulated heifers (average BW = 305 ± 23 kg) were used in a 2-period cross-over design and fed treatments from experiment 1 to assess digestibility and ruminal fermentation characteristics. Gain:feed was 47% and 35% greater ( P  < 0.01) in experiments 1 and 2, respectively, for limit-fed heifers compared with 0.99AL heifers. Rumination time was greater ( P  < 0.01) for 0.99AL compared with limit-fed treatments in experiments 1 and 2. Activity was greater ( P  < 0.01) for 1.32LF2.2 than for 0.99AL in experiment 2. In experiment 1, more ( P  = 0.03) carcasses from light-sort heifers than carcasses from heavy-sort heifers had livers with large, active abscesses. In experiment 2, finishing phase morbidity was greater ( P  < 0.01) for 1.32LF2.2 than for 0.99AL. Light-sort groups had fewer ( P  < 0.01) edible livers than heavy-sort groups, suggesting that greater number of days on feed may increase the risk of liver abscess prevalence and condemnation. In experiment 3, apparent total-tract DM and organic matter digestibilities were greater ( P  < 0.01) for 1.32LF85% than for 0.99AL. Overall, dietary treatments during the growing phase had little carryover effect on feedlot growth performance, carcass characteristics, or liver abscesses prevalence at harvest., Competing Interests: Authors of this manuscript declare no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, livestock trailers ( n  = 125), live animals ( n  = 5,430), and post-slaughter hide-on animals ( n  = 6,674) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the U.S. Cattle were transported in a variety of trailer types for an average distance of 490.6 km and a mean transport time of 6.3 h. During transit, cattle averaged 2.3 m 2 of trailer space per animal indicating sufficient space was provided according to industry guidelines. Of all trailers surveyed, 55.3% transported cattle from an auction barn to a processing facility. When surveyed, 63.6% of all truck drivers reported to be Beef Quality Assurance certified. The majority (77.0%) of cattle were sound when evaluated for mobility. Mean body condition scores (9-point scale) for beef cows and bulls were 3.8 and 4.4, respectively, whereas mean body condition scores (5-point scale) for dairy cows and bulls were 2.3 and 2.6, respectively. Of the cattle surveyed, 45.1% had no visible live animal defects, and 37.9% had only a single defect. Of defects present in cows, 64.6% were attributed to an udder problem. Full udders were observed in 47.5% of all cows. Nearly all cattle were free of visible abscesses and knots (97.9% and 98.2%, respectively). No horns were observed in 89.4% of all cattle surveyed. Beef cattle were predominantly black-hided (68.9% and 67.4% of cows and bulls, respectively). Holstein was the predominant dairy animal observed and accounted for 85.7% of the cows and 98.0% of the bulls. Only 3.1% of all animals had no form of identification. Findings from the NBQA-2022 show improvements within the industry and identify areas that require continued education and research to improve market cow and bull welfare and beef quality., Competing Interests: There are no known conflicts of interest by any of the authors., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, producer and consumer interest in business-to-consumer (B2C) beef sales increased. The objective of the current study was to assess current B2C beef producer and consumer attitudes and understandings of the B2C beef marketing process in order to identify knowledge gaps and strategies to improve producer/consumer interactions. Both producers and customers of local beef were recruited using a large online platform (https://shopkansasfarms.com), and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. In total, 41 B2C beef producers and 174 consumers who had either previously participated in B2C marketing or intended to participate were surveyed. Most producers (69.8%) only produced beef and produced only a small number (1 to 20 head) of animals per year. Many (43.9%) reported selling 100% of beef directly to consumers, while 29.3% reported selling less than 20% through this channel. Almost all (97.3%) of the producers indicated that increased sales directly to consumers would be desirable, with most (87.1%) considering this marketing channel as the most profitable. Marketing beef in smaller portions, including portioned cuts, was popular, reported by more than 62% of producers, while whole carcass sales were lower. Word-of-mouth (91.3%) and social media (65.8%) were the most popular forms of advertisement used by producers and more than one-third of producers (38.9%) reported having trouble with customers regarding a sale. Over 60% of consumers indicated they had purchased B2C beef less than 5 times, with more than 73% indicating that more than 75% of their beef purchased was local. Low take-home weights, portion sizes, and quality were among consumers' most cited troubles. Lack of freezer space (25%), price (24.9%), and quantity of product (41.7%) were reported as the largest barriers to consumer participation in B2C marketing. Both consumers and producers indicated that consumer testimonials would be the most beneficial in improving producer/consumer interactions, with educational materials from government sources viewed as the least beneficial. These results provide a baseline for B2C beef marketing and provide insight into impactful strategies to use to assist in this process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest, (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of four microalgae and antioxidant feeding regimens on beef longissimus lumborum color stability and palatability. Steers were blocked by weight and randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments fed during a 45-d feeding period. Treatments ( n = 10 per treatment) consisted of a control diet (CON) and control diet plus 100 g∙steer -1 ∙d -1 microalgae (ALGAE), ALGAE plus antioxidants (103 IU/d vitamin E and Sel-Plex) fed throughout feeding (AOX), and AOX fed for the final 10 d of finishing (LATE). The longissimus lumborum muscle was removed, aged for 14 d, and fabricated into steaks for objective and subjective color and palatability analyses. There were treatment × day of display interactions for a* value and steak surface metmyoglobin percentage ( P < 0.01). There were no treatment differences through day 4 of display for a* value ( P > 0.16) and day 5 of display for surface metmyoglobin ( P > 0.10). By day 10 of display, ALGAE steaks had a smaller a* value than all other treatments ( P < 0.01). Steaks from AOX steers had a greater ( P < 0.01) a* value than CON steaks, whereas both a* values did not differ from LATE steaks ( P > 0.19). By the end of display, ALGAE steaks had more metmyoglobin than the other treatments ( P < 0.01). Steaks from AOX steers had less metmyoglobin than CON and LATE steaks ( P < 0.04), which did not differ ( P > 0.25). Treatment did not affect trained panel ratings ( P > 0.15); however, treatment did affect ( P < 0.01) off-flavor intensity. Steaks from ALGAE and AOX steers had greater off-flavor ratings than CON steaks ( P < 0.03), but did not differ ( P = 0.10). Steaks from LATE steers did not differ in off-flavor ratings from the other treatments ( P > 0.07). Use of antioxidants improved color stability of steaks from microalgae fed steers; however, panelists still detected off-flavors., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

A total of 976 pigs (PIC 327 × Camborough; PIC, Hendersonville, TN; initially 22.0 ± 1.53 kg body weight [BW]) were used in a 160-d growth study to evaluate the effects of increasing space allowance and varying marketing strategies on growth performance of pigs raised to market weights of ~165 kg. Pens of pigs were blocked by location within the barn and allotted to one of six treatments. Pen served as the experimental unit, and there were eight replicate pens per treatment. The first four treatments consisted of increased initial stocking density and did not utilize topping strategies: (1) 14 pigs/pen (1.17 m 2 /pig), (2) 17 pigs/pen (0.97 m 2 /pig), (3) 20 pigs/pen (0.82 m 2 /pig), and (4) 23 pigs/pen (0.71 m 2 /pig). The fifth treatment began with 25 pigs/pen (0.66 m 2 /pig) and had four marketing events with the heaviest 3 pigs/pen removed on day 93, and additional pigs removed to a common inventory of 20 pigs/pen on day 122 and 17 pigs/pen on day 147 with final marketing on day 160. The final treatment began the experiment with 23 pigs/pen (0.71 m 2 /pig) with three marketing events to achieve a common inventory of 20 pigs/pen on day 108 and 17 pigs/pen on day 147. Pens of pigs were weighed and feed disappearance measured on days 0, 55, 93, 108, 122, 135, 147, and 160. As space allowance decreased from 1.17 to 0.71 m 2 /pig via increased initial pen inventory (treatments 1 to 4), overall average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) decreased (linear, P < 0.001), while gain:feed ratio (G:F) did not differ ( P > 0.05). The treatments with multiple marketing events were compared with each other and with the treatment that began with 0.71 m 2 /pig and only marketed once at the end of the study. Overall ADG and ADFI were not different ( P > 0.05) among these three treatments. Marketing pigs three or four times improved ( P < 0.05) G:F compared with the treatment that began the study with 0.71 m 2 /pig and marketed only once. Reducing floor space allowance for heavy weight pigs decreased intake, which resulted in lower growth rate and final BW, with these reductions occurring before the critical k -value was reached. Total weight gain per pen was maximized with the lowest space allowance and the multiple marketing treatments. Thus, strategic use of pig removals prior to final marketing may allow producers to maximize both number of pigs and total weight marketed through a barn when feeding to heavy weights., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the LIPEX finishing diet regimen on pork chop n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ( PUFA ) content and fresh meat quality. Twenty-eight finishing pigs (PIC 359 × F1 Hermitage/NGT; initial BW 81.5 ± 2.55 kg) were subjected to a 49-d feeding trial. Treatments consisted of a 2 × 2 factorial design with Sex ( n = 14 barrows and gilts each) and Diet as main effects. Dietary treatments consisted of a 2-phase standard finishing diet regimen or a 2-phase LIPEX finishing diet regimen (EXL Milling, Lloydminster, SK, Canada). The LIPEX diet regimen added the EXL LIPEX.FA369 additive during phase 1 and the EXL LIPEX.FA369 and XFE Omega-3 Finishing Touch during phase 2. Five-days postmortem, whole boneless pork loins were transported to the Kansas State University Meats Laboratory, aged 14 d, and halved immediately behind the spinalis dorsi. After blooming for 30 min, chops were evaluated for Japanese color score and National Pork Producers Council ( NPPC ) color and marbling scores. A 2.54-cm chop was taken immediately anterior to the loin cut and was used for fatty acid and proximate composition analyses. Four 2.54-cm chops were cut from the posterior portion of the loin and were utilized for a 7-d simulated retail display analyses, Warner-Bratzler shear force ( WBSF ), and trained sensory panel. There were no Sex × Diet interactions for all variables measured in the study ( P > 0.10). The LIPEX finishing regimen increased chop C18:3n-3, C20:5, and C22:5, which decreased the n-6:n-3 ratio ( P < 0.01). There were no Diet effects on pH, Japanese and NPPC color and marbling scores, and proximate composition ( P > 0.23). Diet did not affect cook loss, WBSF, and trained sensory panel scores ( P > 0.012). There were no 2- or 3-way interactions between Diet, Sex, and Day, or Diet and Sex main effects for L*a* values, surface oxy- and metmyoglobin percentages, or visual panel chop redness and surface discoloration scores ( P > 0.14). Feeding the LIPEX finishing diet regimen increased chop n-3 PUFA content without negatively impacting fresh chop palatability or color stability., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the contribution of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor to the overall consumer beef eating experience and to evaluate the risk of overall palatability failure due to the unacceptable level of one or more of these traits. Data from 11 previously conducted studies representing a wide range of treatments and levels of eating quality that included more than 1,500 beef samples and 1,800 consumers were compiled and analyzed for this study. Results of a multivariate regression indicated that tenderness, flavor, and juiciness accounted for 43.4%, 49.4%, and 7.4%, respectively, of overall palatability ( P < 0.05; R 2 > 0.99). Additionally, the odds of a steak being rated unacceptable overall when tenderness, juiciness, or flavor were rated unacceptable were 2.2 to 1 (69%), 1.9 to 1 (66%), and 3.3 to 1 (77%), respectively. This indicated overall palatability was 7.2, 6.5, and 12.3 times more likely to be rated unacceptable if tenderness, juiciness, or flavor, respectively, was also rated unacceptable. Additionally, the percentage of samples rated acceptable for each palatability trait increased ( P < 0.05) as quality grade increased. More than 88% of USDA Prime samples were rated acceptable for each palatability trait, whereas only 74.8-77.3% of USDA Select samples were rated acceptable for each palatability trait. Marbling score accounted for 14-16% of the variation ( P < 0.01) in consumer palatability scores for each trait and intramuscular fat percentage accounted for 17-21% of the variation in each trait ( P < 0.01). Logistic equation models for the predicted probability of an acceptable rating for each palatability trait based on intramuscular fat percentage accounted for only a minimal amount of variation ( P < 0.01; R 2 ≤ 0.09). Results of this study indicate the relative contribution of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor to overall beef palatability. They provide evidence that the failure of even a single palatability trait dramatically increases the likelihood of overall palatability failure, indicating that no single palatability trait is most important, as beef palatability is dependent upon the acceptance of all three traits: tenderness, juiciness, and flavor., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Animal Science.)

Strip loin steaks ( n = 119) were used to evaluate the association between liver abscess severity and USDA quality grade and meat tenderness and sensory attributes of steaks from finished feedlot cattle. Steaks were used in a 3 × 2 factorial treatment structure using a completely randomized design and were collected at a commercial abattoir located in northwest Texas. All cattle were sourced from a single feedlot and fed a common diet that did not include tylosin phosphate. Treatments were USDA quality grades of Select (SEL) and Low Choice (LC) and liver abscess scores of normal (NORM; healthy liver, no abscesses), mild (M; 1 abscess less than 2 cm in diameter to 4 abscesses less than 4 cm in diameter), and severe (SV; 1 abscess greater than 4 cm in diameter or greater than 4 small abscesses). All steak samples were collected on the same day, approximately 36-h post-mortem and were cut from the left side of the carcass at the 13th rib by a trained abattoir employee. Steaks were vacuum-packaged, and aged at 3 ± 1°C for 14-d post-mortem. Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) and Slice Shear Force (SSF) analyses were conducted and cook-loss percentage was measured. A trained sensory panel analyzed samples for juiciness, tenderness, and flavor attributes. There were no differences among liver abscess scores for WBSF or SSF ( P > 0.52). Warner-Bratzler Shear Force was lower for LC-SV than SEL-SV ( P = 0.04). Sensory attributes of initial and sustained juiciness, and overall tenderness were all greater for LC than for SEL steaks ( P < 0.04) and connective tissue amount was less for LC steaks when compared to SEL ( P = 0.03). Liver abscess score had no effect on any sensory attributes ( P > 0.70); however, there was an interaction between quality grade and liver score for myofibillar tenderness ( P = 0.03). Within LC steaks, liver abscess score had no effect on myofibrillar tenderness ( P > 0.05), however, in SEL steaks, M steaks were more tender than SV steaks ( P < 0.03). These results indicate that within quality grades, meat tenderness or sensory attributes were not influenced by liver abscess score but that mild liver abscesses may affect the myofibrillar tenderness of SEL steaks.

Marketing weight is an important economic variable that impacts the productivity and profitability of finishing pig production. Marketing weight has been increasing worldwide over the past decades driven by the dilution of fixed production cost over more weight per pig and the improvement of genetic selection of lean-type pigs. This review was aimed to summarize current knowledge and assess the future research needs on producing finishing pigs with marketing weight greater than 130 kg. Based on a thorough literature review, increasing marketing weight affected overall pig growth; in particular, cumulative average daily gain (ADG) decreased by 4.0 g, average daily feed intake (ADFI) increased by 78.1 g, and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) decreased by 0.011 for every 10 kg increase of marketing weight. Increasing marketing weight by 10 kg increased carcass yield by 0.41% units, backfat by 1.8 mm, longissimus muscle (LM) area by 1.9 cm 2 , carcass length by 2.2 cm, and belly yield by 0.32% units, but decreased percentage of fat-free-lean by 0.78 units and decreased loin, shoulder, and ham yields by 0.13, 0.16, and 0.17% units, respectively. Studies that investigated the effects of marketing weight on pork quality observed decreased pH by 0.02 and 0.01 at 45 min and 24 h postmortem, respectively, and increased a* value by 0.28 per 10 kg marketing weight increase. Heavier market pigs had increased concentrations of saturated fatty acids and intramuscular fat. However, studies reported conflicting results for L* and b* values, drip loss, Warner-Bratzler shear force, and sensory properties of pigs in response to increasing marketing weight. A limited amount of research has been conducted to estimate nutrient requirements for pigs greater than 140 kg. Increased weight and size of heavy pigs can create challenges to farm and packer facilities and equipment. Discussions and recommendations are provided concerning the adjustments for floor and feeder space, barn design, ventilation, disease control, transportation, and carcass processing needed for increasing marketing weight. In conclusion, increasing marketing weight creates both opportunities and challenges to current finishing pig production, and future research is needed to provide nutritional and management guidelines and improve feed efficiency and meat quality of heavy weight market pigs.