Muscle-Apples & Oranges

[dun]

It seems that when muscle is discussed it not consistant. Feeder calves are graded on over all wifth width and depth and width of the rear quarter, muscle as defined for eating purposes is ribeye. While the two can go hand in hand, visually it's the rear that gets the attention. Ultrasound or hanging them on the rail is the only way to truly evaluate ribeye. We've all seen animals with tremendous butts and dinky ribeyes and by the same oken, dinky butts and large ribeyes.

 

[novatech]

To many people buying into the trend of the what's hot in the market at the time. Good looking bull, forget what's inside? Or look at those great EPD's where you cannot see the butt? Single trait selection?
A month ago I helped with selling a herd of cattle. The buyer bought the entire herd without any quality consideration. He just new he wanted to be in the business of raising that particular breed. He was fortunate that they were all pretty good cows, it just amazed me at his lack of scrutinizing them.

 

[KNERSIE]

It seems that when muscle is discussed it not consistant. Feeder calves are graded on over all wifth width and depth and width of the rear quarter, muscle as defined for eating purposes is ribeye. While the two can go hand in hand, visually it's the rear that gets the attention. Ultrasound or hanging them on the rail is the only way to truly evaluate ribeye. We've all seen animals with tremendous butts and dinky ribeyes and by the same oken, dinky butts and large ribeyes.

The biggest difficulty in performance testing and recording is that you need to have a measureable trait that you can accurately measure and quantify to use in the matrix to calculate EPDs.

REA is although still not easy to measure more measureable or quantifyable than the muscle on the butt. Academics need accurate numbers to develope into EPDs to get their Phd degrees, that is why no-one ever attempted to write a thesis on visual traits and peasant wisdom.

In the end it all boils down to using all the tools in the box, including those that are more subjective and that you can only see with your eyes and measure with experience. If you select for a strong loin in combination with visible mucle on the butt you will effectively select for a large REA and big muscular butts.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

To many people buying into the trend of the what's hot in the market at the time. Good looking bull, forget what's inside? Or look at those great EPD's where you cannot see the butt? Single trait selection?
A month ago I helped with selling a herd of cattle. The buyer bought the entire herd without any quality consideration. He just new he wanted to be in the business of raising that particular breed. He was fortunate that they were all pretty good cows,

• it just amazed me at his lack of scrutinizing them.

wait a year from now he'll know it all