Livestock Lab

Livestock selection decisions

economics, resources, genetics, nutrition, consumer (grass fed vs grain fed)

breeding animal

animal going into production herd, become a parent

market animal

primary purpose is to be harvested; ability to grow rapidly and efficiently

feeder animal

young animal whoe purpose is to become a market animal

purebred livestock

breeders make decisions to keep their herd purebred; mainly producing breeding animals

crossbred/composite

productions using multiple breeds and crossing them with one another to utilize their strengths

seedstock production systems

breeding programs with goal of creating purebred to enter a breeding operation

commercial livestock production system

utilizing crossbreeding systems to produce market animals

maternal traits

traits that tie to the female of the herd; milking ability, mothering ability, litter size

hybrid vigor

ability of crossbred livestock to out perform the average of their purbred parents

terminal traits

traits that relate to the carcass or end goal; value of animal

Feeder/market livestock selection

ability to rank young livestock based on their potential to grow rapidly and efficiently and, at harvest, to produce acceptable carcass characteristics

Breeding livestock selection

ability to rank potential breeding animals based on their ability to sustain longevity and meet the production goals within a herd/flock

USDA quality grades

grades of quality categorize meat on the basis of its aceptabitlity for consumer cuts. Variable uses in assigning quality grades include factors related to palatablilty of the product

Palatability

taste, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor attributes

USDA yield graes

a numeric representation of the percentage of trimmed lean muscle; it is not a reflection of quality or eating experience