60% probably more like it.
Yes, you are probably right. Like I told Son of Butch, I was just shocked at less than 50%. It's just much lower than my previous experiences. Attached is an article from Penn State. Table 1 shows averages for different types of beef at different live weights. Mine was even lower than the lowest expected from poorly muscled or overly fat or for dairy breeds at the same live weight.
Understanding the factors involved in estimating the amount of beef derived from the live animal will assist cattle producers who directly market their beef.
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UPDATED: AUGUST 4, 2016
Having a beef animal custom butchered for personal home consumption has been a long-standing, common practice for beef producers in the United States. These producers are now marketing their animals directly to consumers for "freezer beef". Consumers are purchasing quarters, halves and even whole beef animals for their in-home use in response to the "local" and "slow" food movements. The organization Buy Fresh Buy Local in Pennsylvania is just one of the many groups across the United States helping to educate consumers on locations where they can support agriculture by purchasing and enjoying locally grown commodities.
In most cases of purchases for freezer beef, there is still a middleman, so-to- speak, that is necessary to consult with. Most cattle producers are not harvesting beef animals on-farm and still must utilize small, local meat processors to assist in the marketing of their commodity. Producers must have a good working relationship and open communication with their local butchers to ensure that their product is being handled in a manner that will assist them in producing repeat sales. Offering consumers certain cuts of beef for example, that the meat processor is not willing or able to provide to the consumer could be quite problematic for gaining repeat customers. Properly communicate your needs as a producer and the desires of your consumers to the meat processor. The latter task is probably one the hardest issues related to direct marketing of beef cattle. Knowing what cutting services and packaging options, if any, the local butcher provides is an important start to assisting the consumer in understanding what products they may want from the animal they are purchasing. No consumer likes surprise fees tacked on to an ever increasing bill for food commodities. Be sure to communicate current fees up-front with both the meat processor and the purchaser of the beef animal.
Regardless of the numerous reasons for the success of this niche beef market, some consumers are still confused by the amount and type of beef products they receive when purchasing directly marketed cattle. The Wendy's catchphrase "Where's the Beef?" from the mid 1980's may come to mind for some consumers when receiving their recent purchase of freezer beef. In a lot of cases, novice purchasers of freezer beef may simply not be aware of why they may only have 500lbs of meat or less when they paid for an animal of over 1100lbs. Still, more experienced customers may feel they have not received the entire product that they purchased when the amount of product received varies from purchase-to-purchase. A logical scenario could be the following: Last year, a family received close to 500lbs of beef from a local beef producer. This year, after much consultation with the meat processor requesting certain 'new' boneless beef cuts that the customer learned of, the same family received only 350lbs of beef from a similar sized animal as last year. Both of these types of consumers, the novice and repeat customer, can be assisted greatly by understanding the variation in amounts of beef certain animal types produce, and by knowing the differences in the amount of beef gained or lost by processing procedures (bone-in versus boneless) alone.
As a general rule, most cattle will have an average dressing percentage of 63 percent. This means that a beef animal weighing 1,000lbs will result in a carcass that weighs only 630lbs after slaughter. Although the average dressing percent for beef is 63 percent, several factors may affect the carcass weight. Table 1 below shows the variation in carcass weight alone by the specific factors that affect dressing percentage. Nonetheless, this is the beginning point in which the consumer will see weight lost and variation in weights of directly purchased beef animals.
Table 1. Factors affecting dressing percent and the expected carcass weights
Live weight
(pounds) | Average Carcass
Weight
(pounds) | Heifer
(immature
female)
Carcasses
Pounds | Dairy Breeds
(56-60% or worse)
(pounds) | Excessively fat / poorly muscled
(pounds) |
|---|
| 1200 | 756 | 732 | 696 | 660 |
| 1100 | 693 | 671 | 638 | 605 |
| 1000 | 630 | 610 | 580 | 550 |
| 900 | 567 | 549 | 522 | 495 |
No body else has asked,so I guess I will; Could she have been knocked up?
