Year-round production of beef using maximum levels of forages. III. Carcass evaluation
1990
McMillin, K.W. | Bidner, T.D. | Hill, G.M. | Coombs, D.F. | Bagley, C.P. | Knox, J.W. | Loyacano, A.F. | Oliver, W.M. | Huffman, D.C. | Wyatt, W.E.
Cattle (n = 1700) from six locations in Louisiana were finished on forage or corn silage diets and slaughtered at bimonthly intervals for a three-year period after a forage stocker phase. Steers and heifers finished on silage had heavier carcasses with greater fat thicknesses, higher quality grades, higher numerical yield grades, whiter external fat, and greater market value per pound of carcass weight (P < .05) than cattle finished on forages. Steers finished on forages in summer had less fat and lower quality grades than forage-finished steers in winter. When cattle were finished on silage, there were differences (P < .05) in traits of carcasses at different termination dates, but no definite seasonal trends for a single trait were established. Carcass traits of heifers were similar in response to finishing diet as the steers, but heifer carcasses had (P < .05) lighter weights, were fatter and had lower carcass values than steer carcasses. This study showed that lean beef can be produced throughout the year from cattle finished on forages in the South, but further studies on cattle-forage systems are necessary for optimum slaughter-weight beef production.
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