Animal Growth and Development Exam II

Approximately how many pounds of red meat are produced per week in the US?

1 billion

How many pounds of white meat are produced in the US per week?

838 million

What category of animal product makes up the most of US export?

Offal (kidney, liver, fat, etc.)

What are the four major meat slaughter companies?

Smithfield, JBS, Cargill, Tyson

What was a main takeaway from COVID-19 disruptions in relation to the meat supply?

We rely too much on shipping - a large movement post-covid has been to localize operations

What are the four main goals of animal production?

• Improve growth and efficiency

• Increase carcass lean production

• Improve palatability and healthfulness

• Increase sustainability and lower impact on environment

What are some interferences with animal weight measurement?

• rain/mud

• scale accuracy

• water weight

• full rumen

How do we calculate empty body weight (EBW)?

body weight - weight of gut contents

What is gut fill, and how can it be mitigated?

Weight of the digestive tract, which is typically a bigger issue in ruminants. Weight error due to gut fill can be minimized by fasting overnight and taking the average of 2 consecutive days’ weights

What is the goal of feed efficiency?

to produce high quality livestock with the least amount of feed

What are the two highest costs in production?

cost of the animal and cost of feed

What does FCR stand for?

Feed Conversion Ratio

What is feed conversion ratio?

Estimated amount of feed required for an animal to gain one pound of body mass.

What does RFI stand for?

Residual feed intake

What is residual feed intake?

estimation of an animal’s feed efficiency independent of growth performance

defined as actual feed intake minus expected feed intake

Is a low or high RFI desired?

We want a low RFI!!

What is the dressing percentage of pork?

72%

What is the dressing percentage of beef?

62%

What is the dressing percentage of sheep?

52%

What is the benefit of a lean lamb for the consumer?

Fat=flavor, but leaner carcass creates less objectional flavor in the meat.

What are 3 factors that may influence DP?

• Gut Fill

• Fat Mass

• Muscling

What is cooler shrink?

loss of carcass weight due to loss of water from a carcass when put in the meat cooler following processing.

How might cooler shrink be reduced?

Spray chilling

How to calculate cooler shrink?

Cold Carcass Weight/Hot carcass weight *100

What is the approximate cooler shrink percentage between 24-48 hours?

1-5%

What the approximate cooler shrink percentage between 7-14 days?

3-10%

What are the two base categories for pork grading?

Class (apparent sex condition at time of slaughter)

Grade (reflects quality)

Which two classes do not have provided grading and why?

Boar and stag, due to boar taint