Carcass Quality

Liver Abscesses in Beef-on-Dairy Cattle are Costing Packers Big Money

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:54:48 GMT

The beef-on-dairy phenomenon has seen explosive growth, especially as dairy producers look to diversify their operations and capitalize on high beef prices. However, no rose grows without a few thorns. And the thorn in the side of this new sector of the dairy industry has been the prolific amount of liver abscesses found in these crossbred cattle.

For dairy producers, this common health issue amongst beef-on-dairy animals does not necessarily have a big impact on their bottom line. But according to Dr. Blake Foraker, an assistant professor and meat scientist at Washington State University, this growing problem is costing packers two main things – time and money.

Time

“Liver abscesses are a big nuisance for packers because it really slows them down,” Foraker says. “In our beef-on-dairy population, we’re seeing liver abscess prevalence in 50% or more of animals. And this is holding up the production line.”

Carcasses with liver abscesses must have the organ removed manually by workers. Additionally, it must be inspected to see if the abscess has adhered to any other surrounding tissues. In turn, the extra time needed for the removal of tissue and further inspections adds up, slowing down the production line and potentially reducing the number of animals that can be processed through the facility each day.

“Time is of high importance to these packing plants,” Foraker says. “And liver abscesses, especially the severe cases, can cause a lot of rail-outs and cost packers a lot of additional time. So, this issue is something that they would really like to have resolved.”

Money

With the number of native beef animals in limited supply due to ongoing pressure with persistent drought, dairy farmers have been able to help keep meat cases full with the help of these beef-on-dairy cross animals. And while the meat from these cross animals is similar, and in some cases, more valuable than conventional beef, liver abscesses have been tainting one of the most valuable cuts of meat – the skirt steak.

“What will happen is a liver abscess will become so severe that the outside skirt muscle will adhere to the liver. In 2023, that skirt steak muscle was listed as the second most valuable cut of meat on a per-pound basis, coming in behind the tenderloin. So if packers have to cut this portion of meat out, then they are throwing away a high-dollar product,” Foraker says.

According to the beef-on-dairy specialist, dairy producers may only notice a small dock in price on the final hanging weight for their beef-on-dairy animal that had a liver abscess. However, the packers are seeing a much larger loss if additional meat needs to be trimmed.

“The outside skirt muscle, even though it only comprises about five pounds of a carcass, is worth around $12 a pound. If we have to remove that muscle because it’s adhered to the liver because of a liver abscess, then that’s about $60 per animal, which is rather significant,” Foraker says. “Now if you’re paid on a carcass weight basis, that’s only $14 to you for losing five pounds because this trimming has to occur before the pay scale at the packing point. But if you’re a packer, you’ve just lost $45 because there is now no longer an outside skirt steak from that carcass.”

According to Michigan State Extension Beef Specialist, Jerad Jaborek, livers condemned at slaughter represent an annual loss to the U.S. beef industry of more than $60 million. And that does not take into account the approximately 5-15% ding to average daily gain, and the 9.7% reduction in feed efficiency they also actuate.

“Packers are working to identify producers that are doing a good job at minimizing the prevalence of liver abscesses in their beef-on-dairy animals,” Foraker says. “Once those producers are identified, the packers are more likely to want to do business with them over a producer who is known to supply animals with this issue. So this liver abscess problem is something dairy producers certainly need to keep their eye on.”

For more on Beef-on-Dairy, read:

Sexten: Lessons From the Dairy Industry

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 13:57:52 GMT

You will be hard pressed to find a current beef publication that doesn’t reference beef on dairy calves somewhere in the copy as the number of dairy cows bred to elite beef producing bulls continues to grow. The ability to produce a steady and sufficient supply of elite dairy replacement heifers has been enabled by two technologies widely adopted in the dairy industry: genomic testing and sexed semen. The widescale use of these technologies offers a window into the future of the beef production system.

A recent article₁ in Frontiers from George Wiggans and Jose Carrillo at the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding reviewed the impact of genomic testing in dairy cattle genetic improvement. This review and the associated changes in the dairy production model highlight the ability to change selection focus when we expand beyond simply using bulls as the source of genetic improvement.

Since 2011, the number of dairy cows evaluated using genetic testing has doubled every five years to exceed one million annually. Don’t miss that the use of genetic testing is doubling in COWS. Growth in the use among sires is flat, as less than 1% of sires used in dairy matings are not genetically tested. Since genetic testing for dairy sires is table stakes, this has enabled the reduction in the sire generation interval to the point where genetic improvement is occurring at the biological limit.

Knowing the individual genetic merit of the cow herd enables the strategic mating of tested cows to either produce dairy replacements or be mated to beef sires. With the advancement of sexed semen further specialization is enabled, as the by-product of targeted matings is virtually eliminated.

Beef producers are now competing with a dairy whose by-product is feeder calves. The characteristics of this by-product address three key challenges of the native beef supply chain: eliminating seasonality of supply, easily sourced in load lots and uniform management despite individual sorting early in life. While there is much attention to beef from dairy cows, the percentage of the beef supply chain originating from dairies hasn’t changed nearly as much as the genetic potential of the cattle themselves.

Imagine a production system where sire genetic improvement is occurring at the biological limit coupled with a cow herd that that turns over every four years. Despite dairy cows being productive for about half as long as a beef cow, genetic testing in dairy herds exceeds that of beef herds. The dairy model has moved their genetic focus from selecting replacements from a system to creating the replacements needed for their system.

The Net Merit score is an index used in the dairy industry to implement genetic selection of replacements. How would you weight the following areas if designing the net merit index: milk yield, milk components, health, longevity, reproduction, efficiency, and physical characteristics?

The article from the Council on Dairy Cattle breeding1 outlined the weighting of the current net merit index: milk components (48.3%), longevity (20.8%), efficiency (13.2%), reproduction (9.6%), health (4%), physical characteristics of feet and udder (3.8%) and finally milk yield (0.3%). Anyone else surprised the lowest category of emphasis is milk yield? Perhaps dairies have reached the limit on milk yield. A similar case could be made for weaning weight and milk production in the beef herd where we are limited more by the environment than genetic potential for productivity.

The emphasis on milk components suggests making progress enhancing the composition of milk is more important than total yield. From a beef production perspective carcass merit would be similar to component improvement. There are few beef selection indexes where the composition of carcass gain is more important than the gain itself. Cattle feeders recently proved with cheap feed and days on feed beef carcasses weights can be increased to record levels, perhaps it’s time to change focus to ribeye area and marbling.

The ability to select for longevity, efficiency, and reproduction is not limited to dairy cows. Beef producers have genomic tools available today to make genetic progress in all these areas, yet few operations have adopted genomic testing for any traits. In an industry where feed costs make up the greatest percentage of operating costs and reproduction is the most important production trait; we should not continue to ignore the tools available to make progress in these areas. Beef producers can select replacements designed for our production systems before ever turning out a bull.

Some suggest the dairy model doesn’t apply to beef systems due to the diverse environment. Every cow herd has environmental constraints that limit stocking rate comparable to the limited number of parlor spots in a dairy. If you are trying to optimize the production of beef per acre is a replacement selection model where keeping the biggest and oldest heifer calves with little knowledge of their genetic merit or variation within those females the best way to optimize the land resource?

(Farm Journal)

USDA Launches Remote Beef Grading Pilot Project

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:22:01 GMT

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a pilot project on Friday that will allow more cattlemen and meat processors to utilize USDA carcass quality grades.

The Remote Grading Pilot for Beef, developed by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), matches simple technology with robust data management and program oversight to allow a USDA grader to assess beef carcass characteristics and assign the official quality grade from a remote location, reducing costs and location as barriers to participation in voluntary grading services.

Secretary Vilsack announced the new pilot during a panelist discussion with livestock producers and independent meat processing business owners in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo.

“On average, a beef carcass that grades as USDA Prime is valued at hundreds of dollars more than an ungraded carcass, but costs for this voluntary USDA service often prevents smaller scale processors and the farmers and ranchers they serve from using this valuable marketing tool,” Secretary Vilsack said. “This remote grading pilot opens the door for additional packers and processors to receive grading and certification services allowing them to access new, better, and more diverse marketing opportunities.”

Cattle groups immediately voiced their support of the project. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association issued statements welcoming the project they believe will lead to better marketing opportunities for more cattlemen.

“The USDA quality grades of prime, choice, and select are instantly recognized by consumers and an important way for cattle producers to be rewarded for raising high-quality beef,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “NCBA is glad that USDA is launching this Remote Grading Pilot Program and expanding opportunities for meat grading to occur in smaller, local processing facilities. This will increase marketing opportunities for cattle producers and help them capture more value from their product.”

USCA Independent Beef Processing Chairman Patrick Robinette said, “Before today’s announcement, it was simply unaffordable for an independent producer or processor to participate in providing quality-graded beef to the marketplace. On my operation, the cost would have averaged $410 per head to receive grading services, which I would have never recouped.”

“The pilot program would reduce that cost to $4.56 per head.” Robinette continued. “Now, the producers I serve will be able to access value-added programs that were previously unavailable to them. With the free ribeye grid device that will be provided to participating processing facilities, independent producers and processors can qualify for programs like Certified Angus Beef.”

In addition to the pilot, Secretary Vilsack highlighted USDA programs in the West that create economic prosperity for farms, ranches and rural communities by supporting on-farm conservation, bolstering new markets, creating jobs, and keeping farming and ranching viable for the next generation. Today’s announcement builds on USDA’s comprehensive approach to increase competition in agricultural markets, create a fairer playing field for small- and mid-size farmers and ranchers, and provide producers more options to market their products.

Consumers as well as buyers and sellers of beef rely on USDA quality grades, including Prime, Choice, and Select, as a clear and standardized way to indicate quality. Everyone involved in the beef supply chain, from cattle producers to beef consumers, benefit from the greater efficiency permitted by the application of official U.S. grade standards.

USDA offers these services to packers and processors on a user-fee basis. While over 90% of America’s fed beef supply is officially graded by USDA, most users are large beef packing operations. USDA’s meat grading and certification services are significantly underutilized by small, independent processors, in large part due to the expense of paying for a highly trained USDA grader to travel to their facility to perform service in-person for a relatively small number of cattle that may not require a full day of the graders’ work. Experience with remote grading so far has shown it dramatically reduces travel-related expenses, which makes the service more accessible to smaller processors.

In this pilot, trained plant employees capture specific images of the live animal and beef carcass. These images are submitted electronically to a USDA grader already stationed elsewhere in the U.S., likely located in another rural community, who reviews the images and accompanying plant records and product data, assigns the USDA Quality Grade and applicable carcass certification programs, and communicates the official grade back to the plant to be applied to the carcass. Plants can then use this information in their retail marketing and transmit carcass performance information back to producers.

The pilot will build on lessons-learned during AMS’ feasibility study of a “remote grading” process conducted during the second half of 2023. AMS will expand its testing by engaging a larger and more diverse number of beef packers to participate in the development of this procedure. Through the pilot, AMS will gather additional information on actual cost and the level of in-person surveillance needed to ensure program consistency and integrity to formalize this innovative service option as part of the USDA Quality Grading Service.

The Remote Grading Pilot for Beef is limited to domestic beef slaughter facilities operating under federal inspection and producing product that meets the eligibility criteria for the USDA grading program.

For more information about the Remote Grading Pilot for Beef, visit www.ams.usda.gov/remote-beef-grading or email AskLP@usda.gov .

USDA will host a webinar Thursday, Jan. 25 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time to provide additional information about the program. To register, visit the signup webpage . A recording will be made available.

How Does Cattle Handling and Stockmanship Influence Animal Performance?

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 21:11:43 GMT

We often hear and see reports on how sickness or the use of technologies such as fly control, implants, ionophores, and others influence animal performance and profitability.

Low-stress cattle handling methods have been discussed and promoted for many years, but the influence on animal performance is not often part of those discussions. Some research has been done to investigate the influence that stockmanship has on disposition and animal performance and more is being done.

Good stockmanship and low-stress handling methods include utilizing the animals’ natural tendencies to the handlers’ advantage while working or handling cattle. It includes calm and quiet action and movements by the handlers, changing and remodeling equipment and facilities if there are problem areas that impede cattle flow, and acclimating the cattle to handlers prior to needing to move the cattle from their pens for routine management practices. It also involves establishing a positive culture on the farm operation for how animals are handled.

Cattle temperament can serve as an indicator of how cattle have been handled. Temperament has a reported heritability value of approximately 0.4 to 0.5, on a scale of 0.0 to 1.0, which indicates that environment (how they are handled) also has a strong influence.

Cattle that are handled using low-stress stockmanship practices have been observed to have improved rates of gain. According to research published in “The Bovine Practitioner, ” Dewell and team observed that abruptly weaned feeder cattle that were acclimated and handled with low-stress practices during processing had an increased rate of gain of 2.92 lb/day vs 2.70 lb/day (P=0.01) for conventionally handled cattle from day 19 through day 95 after arrival and had 29 pounds (P=0.07) heavier hot carcass weights.

A trial, lead by Woide and published in the International Journal of Livestock Production, comparing two different handling approaches to moving newly arrived cattle to the working facility observed cattle handled in a calm low-stress manner vocalized less during processing, exited the chute slower, and had higher rates of gain compared to cattle that were driven to the working facility in a highly excitable manner. They also observed improperly captured calves in the chute had lower rates of gain, higher exit speeds, and increased vocalization.

According to Journal of Animal Science published research, Reinhardt and team evaluated the effect of disposition (temperament) of cattle on feedlot and carcass traits on over 20,000 head of cattle in the Tri-County Steer Futurity Program between 2002 and 2006. Cattle that were more excitable had a decreased initial and final weight, lower rate of gain, hot carcass weight, yield grade, quality grade, and marbling score (P<0.01). Table 1 provides some highlights of the effects of disposition score on feedlot performance and carcass traits of steers and heifers in the analysis.

Table 1.Effects of disposition score on feedlot performance and carcass traits.

(Farm Journal)

*Disposition scores were rated 1 to 6 each time cattle went through the chute, with 1 being very calm, walks out of the chute through 6 being extremely excitable, agitated, runs, and jumps when exiting the chute. Scores 3 and greater were grouped together for analysis.

Low stress cattle handling and good stockmanship practices can improve feedlot performance and carcass traits, help reduce cost of production, and increase revenue from higher quality carcasses. In addition, implementing these practices can also reduce risk of injury to both the handlers and the livestock resulting in further savings.

_References:

_{Dewell, R.D., S.T. Millman, R.L.Parsons, L.J. Sadler, T.H. Noffsinger, W.D. Busby, C.Wang, G.A. Dewell, “Clinical trial to assess the impact of acclimation and low-stress cattle handling on bovine respiratory disease and performance during the feedyard finishing phase”, The Bovine Practitioner, Spring 2019. 53(1) Pgs 71-80.

https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol53no1p71-80}

_{Reinhardt, C.D., W.D. Busby, and L.R. Corah. “Relationships of various incoming cattle traits with feedlot performance and carcass traits”, Journal of Animal Science 2009. 87:3030-3042, doi:10.2527/jas.2008-1293}

_{Woide, R., T. Grandin, B. Kirch, J. Paterson, “Effects of initial handling practices on behavior and average daily gain of fed steers”, International Journal of Livestock Production, March 2016, Vol 7(3), pp. 12-18, DOI: 10.5897/IJLP2015.0277}

Certified Angus Beef Recognizes Beef Quality Researchers

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 17:58:22 GMT

Certified Angus Beef created the Dr. Bobby VanStavern Award for Beef Quality Research to recognize and support student researchers focused on beef quality. This year, the brand recognizes Andres Mendizabal as the recipient and acknowledges other successful researchers for their contribution to improving beef quality.

The brand considers Dr. VanStavern the “Father of the Brand Specifications” because of his involvement in establishing the brand’s original carcass standards. After his passing in 2020, Certified Angus Beef wanted to continue his legacy by creating this award to honor students committed to improving beef quality.

“Dr. VanStavern was instrumental to the creation of the brand, so it is only fitting we continue our dedication to the highest quality beef by recognizing students whose research will help advance beef quality,” Certified Angus Beef Meat Scientist Daniel Clark, Ph.D. says. “This year’s applicants specifically outlined relevant and applicable research that will impact beef quality, and they deserve to be recognized.”

First-place honors go to Mendizabal, an international student pursuing a Ph.D. in animal science at Texas Tech University (TTU). His research is titled, “The Accuracy of USDA Yield Grade and Beef Carcass Components as Predictors of Red Meat Yield.”

“I assessed different cross-sections of a carcass to develop new techniques and models to predict red meat yield that could be used to produce market signals for the beef industry, resulting in new carcass composition and value predictions,” Mendizabal says.

Value discovery is always at the front of beef producers’ and packers’ minds and yield grade generates market signals and feedback for making production decisions. While lack of marbling is the No. 1 reason cattle don’t qualify for CAB, the brand recognizes Mendizabal’s research as a way to continue to improve the overall value of a beef carcass.

“As we continue to improve marbling and quality grade, identifying more accurate and precise ways to predict red meat yield only stands to benefit producers and the profitability of the entire industry,” Clark says.

Certified Angus Beef would also like to recognize other students who outlined research pertinent to the beef industry.

Jacob Bagby is a Masters student in meat science at TTU and his research, “Effect of Bloom Time on Preliminary Yield Grade, Ribeye Color, Ribeye Area, Marbling Score, and Calculated Yield Grade for the VBG-Smartcam and the VBG7L Grading Instruments,” evaluated the changes in camera assessments during different bloom times.

Colorado State University (CSU) Animal Science Masters Student Abbey Schiefelbein found potential pathways for trimmings of Suspended Fresh products as the trimmings are currently discarded. In her research, “The Effect of Incorporating Suspended Fresh Beef Trimmings on Ground Beef Retail Shelf-Life,” Schiefelbein hopes to reduce the cost of this trending premium product.

Alexander Norwood is an animal science Masters student at TTU. His research, “Evaluation of Current USDA Beef Yield Equation for Predicting Subprimal Yield and the Use of Cutout Data to Predict Lean, Bone, and Fat Percentages in Beef Carcass,” will be used to form new equations to predict the saleable yield of beef carcasses.

Melissa Davis is a Ph.D. candidate in animal science at CSU. Her research is titled “Benchmarking Current Pre-Slaughter Practices, Welfare Indicators, and Meat Quality Outcomes at Commercial Fed Cattle Processing Facilities in the United States.” Davis studied critical pre-slaughter management factors related to animal welfare and accessed its impact on meat quality to create a nationwide benchmark.

Master of Animal Science student at TTU, Tayler Hays, research titled, “Evaluation of Lubabegron Fed to Conventional Heifers and its Effects on Beef Palatability,” studied the products effects on palatability and dimensional changes to the Longissimus luborum of heifers fed this grow promoting technology.

The research by today’s students will affect the future of beef quality by generating insights for more efficient and accurate management at the ranch, feedyard, packer and beyond.

Cattle Health Impacts Carcass Traits

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 19:31:40 GMT

It is important for everyone involved in beef cattle production, including seedstock producers, cow-calf producers, backgrounders and stocker operators, feedlot managers, packers, retailers, feed suppliers and veterinarians to remember that all the money distributed among the many participants is generated by the sale of beef to consumers.

While it is true that carcass traits and beef product attributes are largely influenced by the genetic decisions of seedstock and commercial cow-calf producers and the feeding decisions of feedlot managers and nutritionists, the animal health decisions made by producers and veterinarians throughout the production chain also play a role. A number of studies have indicated that muscling, marbling and tenderness all can be negatively impacted by cattle health problems.

Studies of consumer preferences have indicated that attributes such as flavor, tenderness, marbling and texture are important when evaluating the eating experience when consuming beef cuts. These consumer expectations are important when considering the impact of animal health because pneumonia and other common cattle diseases have the potential to affect not only carcass weight, but also the amount, location, and ratio of muscle, fat and water.

Cattle Health and Effects on Carcass Traits

Bovine respiratory disease (pneumonia) is the most important cause of illness and death in feedlot cattle with digestive diseases such as acidosis and bloat also being important. Several studies have shown that cattle that experienced respiratory disease had lighter hot carcass weight, lower dressing percent, less internal fat and lower marbling scores, as well as less external fat and smaller ribeye area than cattle without respiratory disease.

Scientists don’t have a clear picture of how disease impacts carcass traits, but probably a combination of changes in hormones such as insulin, growth hormone and other signals that direct the growth of muscle and the deposition of fat are involved. In addition, just the fact that cattle are off-feed while they are sick may impact the pattern of muscle growth and fat deposition.

The negative effects of disease on carcass traits may not be confined to the time cattle are in a feed yard. As we learn more about muscle growth and fat deposition, it appears that stress, disease or poor nutrition even early in life can have consequences on feedlot and carcass performance. This understanding makes a life-long health and nutrition plan to minimize disease risk and ensure optimum growth from birth to slaughter important for efficient production of a desirable beef product. Beef producers should work with veterinarians to optimize sanitation, nutrition, immunization and biosecurity to reduce the risk of disease.

In addition, because the negative effects on growth and carcass traits appear to be more severe in animals with prolonged or multiple episodes of sickness compared to animals that become sick for a short period of time and then recover, knowledge and ability to accurately identify sick animals and to treat them in a timely manner also becomes increasingly important.

Life-long cattle health starts with the cow being in good body condition and receiving all necessary nutrients throughout pregnancy and then giving birth without calving difficultly in a clean environment. If the calf is born healthy and able to quickly stand and suckle and that calf is not exposed to mud and manure, it is likely to avoid the risk of scours and pneumonia during the time period from birth to weaning. Adequate forage availability for both the cow and calf until weaning is essential to maintain optimum health and to ensure that the calf has good post-weaning growth and health.

Effective vaccines are available for a number of important disease-causing germs including the bacteria that cause blackleg and related diseases, and the viruses and bacteria that contribute to bovine respiratory disease. Both internal parasites (worms) and external parasites (flies, ticks and lice) can cause significant disease in calves; and proper use and timing of deworming and external parasite treatments greatly aids in cattle health and well-being.

The time period around weaning is a period of high risk for respiratory disease and other diseases. Implementation of well-designed preconditioning programs that utilize low-stress weaning, vaccinations, parasite control and acclimation to post-weaning diets and feeding and watering equipment is an excellent disease control strategy.

The Cost of Cattle Disease

Carcass premiums and pricing on carcass merit grids has caused the veterinary profession to re-evaluate the cost of cattle diseases. Historically, veterinarians and beef producers have considered the cost of disease to be confined to death loss, treatment cost, decreased feed efficiency and reduced live weight. However, because many cattle are now sold on a carcass merit basis, disease has the potential to affect profitability not only through treatment costs, death loss, and reduced weight, but also the amount, location, and ratio of muscle, fat, and water and the ultimate desirability of the final beef product.

Ensuring that consumers have a satisfying experience every time they eat beef requires that all the participants in the beef production chain do their part to improve and protect the attributes of flavor, tenderness, marbling and texture. In addition to the significant impacts that genetics and nutrition play on carcass and product traits, cattle health also has an important role; and a plan to optimize health from birth to slaughter is an important component of providing a high-quality beef product.

Beef X Dairy: Vision & Reality

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:42:58 GMT

Dairy producers are rapidly embracing the concept of using beef semen to freshen their cows, and the resulting crossbred calves are proving both a valuable opportunity and a challenge for the U.S. beef industry.

Beef-on-dairy crosses as they are called, deliver on the vision that breed complementarity produces better feedlot performance and improved carcass quality while enhancing industry sustainability initiatives. Such gains are always welcome, but the growth of the beef-on-dairy sector could prove crucial going forward as the beef industry suffers the impact of a second mega-drought over the past decade.

Industry analysts are quick to acknowledge no hard data exists on the number of beef-on-dairy cattle that are part of today’s beef supply, but they estimate there are about three million head.

“I believe the number of beef-on-dairy crosses in today’s market exceeds three million head,” says Dale Woerner, animal and food science professor at Texas Tech University. “And the number will continue to grow, especially as the beef cow inventory shrinks.”

Woerner and his colleagues at Texas Tech have collaborated with Cargill over the past three years on the Dairy Beef Accelerator, a program to better understand the opportunities of beef-on-dairy. Researchers at Texas Tech have documented several benefits for producers, packers, consumers and the environment. Some highlights include:

Compared to purebred dairy calves, beef-on-dairy calves can provide higher-quality beef products without impacting current milk production efficiencies.
Beef-on-dairy calves show greater feed efficiency (compared to purebred dairy calves), which lowers the environmental footprint associated with their production.
Increased feed efficiency significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The practice benefits meat quality. Beef-on-dairy delivers increased volumes of higher-grading beef carcasses, providing feedyard operators more access to value-based marketing opportunities as well as pass-back — beef-on-dairy calves are more valuable in the marketplace for dairies than purebred dairy calves.

“The beef and dairy industries have the opportunity to work together to produce even more efficient beef animals,” Woerner says. “Crossbreeding dairy cows to complementary beef sires can advance sustainability by reducing the environmental impact and improving profitability.”

A recent review of beef-on-dairy carcasses and meat characteristics in 2021 found that beef from these crossbreds compares favorably with traditional beef.

(Farm Journal)

“Dairy-influenced beef has some advantages,” Woerner says. “Primarily tenderness, but also some flavor advantages, too. There’s improved overall palatability or eating qualities in the dairy/beef model over conventional beef.” Woerner says the beef-on-dairy carcasses will produce more flavor associated with marbling due to dairy-type animals typically producing high marbling scores.

While beef-on-dairy programs offer improved utilization of resources for producers and provides carcasses that better fit packer needs, the evolving sector brings some challenges to an industry not quite ready for the influx.

No one understands that better than Ty Lawrence, animal science professor at West Texas A&M, and director of the Beef Carcass Research Center.

“I receive calls from representatives of the packing industry weekly regarding issues they are seeing with these cattle,” Lawrence says. “In general terms, beef-on-dairy provides the beef industry some good, some bad and some very ugly results.”

The Good

Through in-plant research and observations, Lawrence and his team at BCRC say beef-on-dairy is working, in that the positive characteristics far out number the bad and the ugly.

For instance, traceability is much higher for beef-on-dairy crosses than cattle from the traditional beef sector, making those cattle easily eligible for source and age verification branded programs and for export. And because dairies traditionally do not brand their cattle, the hides are more valuable. Hide values, however, are significantly lower than a decade ago as leather has been replaced by polyester and nylon for many uses.

Observations by BCRC also confirm beef-on-dairy delivers on the carcass improvement promise. One improvement is the Angus stamp, which Lawrence says is independent of Certified Angus Beef. Because many beef-on-dairy calves are Angus-sired, trim from those carcasses can be sold as Angus trim for hot dogs and ground beef that are branded as Angus.

Better dressed yield is another improvement. BCRC data found straight dairy carcass produces a dressed yield of 60%, beef-on-dairy at 62.8%, and traditional beef carcasses at 65%. For ribeyes the dairy average is 13.3", the beef-on-dairy at 14.1" and the beef cattle average is 14.8". The dairy crosses also improve muscle conformation and muscle-to-bone ratio over the straight-bred dairy calves.

Marbling scores can represent an increase in value for some cattle feeders. That’s because while overall marbling scores are “on par” with straight dairy cattle, the crosses produce more CAB carcasses.

“Historically, one-third of Prime carcasses came from dairy,” Lawrence says. “So dairy genetics produce marbling, but when we cross them with Angus, we have an opportunity for those carcasses to qualify for CAB.”

A majority of the Angus-sired dairy steers will qualify for CAB on a live basis, and “80% to 95% of the beef-on-dairy crosses will grade Choice or better, with 25% to 45% reaching CAB,” Lawrence says.

The Bad

“Some of these dairy animals, regardless of whether they are a cross or a straight bred, arrive at harvest with an intact testicle,” Lawrence says. “Most are banded in the first week or so at a rate that I have yet to document, one testicle is in the sack and is removed, while one testicle is in the belly and that animal does not know he’s not supposed to be a bull.”

Such mistakes lead to an increased rate of “bulling” and increased rates of dark cutters. Dairy crosses will also produce more subcutaneous fat than the straightbred dairy animal, necessitating additional fabrication of fat trim by the packer.

“A Holstein or a Jersey will have 9 lb. of muscle for every pound of fabrication trim,” Lawrence says. “The average beef animal has 5 lb. of muscle for every pound of fabrication fat trim and the crosses will be similar.”

BCRC also found only 20% of the beef-on-dairy crosses displayed healthy, normal looking lungs. “That means 80% had something going on,” Lawrence says.

A significant concern for packers with beef-on-dairy crosses is the possibility of lactating heifers, which is more common among the Jersey crosses. Milk that spills on a carcass in a packing plant must be treated the same as fecal matter, meaning that it can’t be washed off - it has to be trimmed off.

The Very Ugly

In short, liver abscesses. Across the beef industry liver abscesses are a significant concern, a defect Lawrence says results in a $409 million industry loss over the 27.3 million animals harvested last year.

Compared with standard beef cattle and traditional dairy cattle, however, the beef-on-dairy crosses “stick out as a problem,” Lawrence says. The beef-on-dairy crosses saw 68% of livers condemned due to abscesses in observations by BCRC.

Last year the BCRC examined 271,436 carcasses, finding live abscesses in 26% of beef steers, 21% of beef heifers, 20% of Mexican cattle, 29% of Holsteins and the eye-popping 68% of beef-on-dairy. The liver itself is only worth $8, but the increasing severity of the abscesses can result in the loss of other salable meat products such as skirt steaks. Lawrence says liver abscesses, because they are active infections, reduce the animal’s feed conversion, reduce carcass weights, reduce marbling scores and decrease ribeye area.

“That’s a lot of growth negatives that come with those more severe liver abscesses,” Lawrence says. “This is a problem, and we as an industry have got to fix it.”