Cattle
Parts
Crest
Tail head
Hooks
Pins
Loin
Poll
Rib
Neck
Muzzle
Stifle
Lower ¼
or Round
Throat/Dewla
p
Shoulder
Point of Shoulder
Switch
Chest Floor/Brisket
Ribs
Sheat
Flank/
h
Cod
Hock
Bone
Fore-rib
Heart
Knee
Cannon
Pastern
Hoof
Breeding Cattle Selection Criteria
• Functionality
• Structural correctness
• Volume
• Production Efficiency
• Moderation
• Fleshing ability
• Optimal Performance (gender specific)
• Width & Dimension (Muscle)
• Balance
Market Cattle Selection Criteria
• End-Product Value
• Muscle
• Optimal Fat Thickness
• Practicality
• Rib Design and Feed Ability
• Skeletal Correctness
• Balance
• Weight Gain and Performance
Functionality
• What is it??
• Also referred to as “practical” and “useful”
• Define Functionality in livestock:
• The ability of an animal to combine feet and leg
soundness with total body volume to provide a
practical look and efficiency in a production setting
Soundness
• Remember “45°”
• Spine flexibility
• Correct lines is good for balance, but too much
strength of top can result in an elevated spine
in motion
• Very important:
• Uniform foot design
• Breed specific problems
• Curled-toe in bulls
Front Structure
Structure from the Profile and Behind
Structure from the Front
This steer is straight hocked, short hipped while also being straighter
shouldered and knee as well.
This calf has a functional set to his hock, while also having a correct
angle about his shoulder and knee.
Volume
Rib Shape
 ¾ View
 Defined as the outward
turn to an animal’s rib
cage
 Should come out of their
spine with arc and
curvature throughout their
entire rib cage
 Facilitates performance
and do-ability
Body Depth
• Profile View
• Defined as how much
depth of body an animal
has from their heart to
their flank
• Should be deep hearted,
soft in their mid-rib, and as
equally deep flanked if not
deeper than their heart
• Facilitates fleshing ability
and aids in balance
Functional
Non-Functional
Practical
Not Practical
“Feed Ability”
• In order for market steers to optimally put weight,
muscle and finish on in an appropriate time frame, they
must have:
• Natural skeletal width
• Width of chest
• Genuine base width
• Productive rib cage
• “Loose” body depth
Hard ribbed, shallow bodied and tight
flanked. Poor feed ability.
Deep and bold through his fore-rib
and center body, then cuts up
(tucked up) through his flank
Very soft and deep, big ribbed and yet is still tight and
neat chested
Fleshing Ability
•The ability to naturally maintain body
condition without supplemental feed
during various climates and seasons.
•Body Condition Scores (BCS)
• Range from 1 to 9
• Ideal is 5-6 (cows grazing pasture)
Areas to study Fleshing
BCS 5-6
BCS 9
BCS 1
Areas of Finish Evaluation
• Brisket
• Rib Cage
• Topline
• Tailhead/Pones
• Depth of Flank
• Cod/Udder
Areas to Evaluate Finish
Ribs
Topline
Pones
Fore-Rib
Brisket
Flank/Cod
Performance
• Beef is still sold by the pound! Meaning….
• Higher performing cattle tend to produce/sire
heavier weighing calves, which will generate
more total revenue when weighed up
• Cattle need to acquire weight at optimum levels
of muscle and condition
Performance
• Number one mistake committed by evaluators
• Mistaking frame size for weight
• Moderate cattle that have more volume, width, and
substance will weigh more than large framed cattle
that are one-dimensional
• We will select for moderate cattle that do not
compromise practical performance
Moderate framed
Productive Performance
Large framed
Less Performance
Muscle
Bulls
 Power and muscle
dimension is very
important in breeding bulls
 They're responsible for
supplying the power to
their offspring.
 Don’t mistake fat for
muscle or width
Females
 Not as important in
females
 Females still need to be
wide-pinned, wide based
and have natural
dimension
 Terminal shape, round and
a short muscle design
typically is coincided with
smaller vulvas and lower
reproductive efficiency
Indicators for Muscle Shape
• Topside of Skeleton
• Behind the shoulder
• Over the 12th and 13th
rib
• Loin
• Shape to top
• Flat and wide and
contains shape
• View from behind
• Width between their
pins
• Center round
• Lower Quarter
• Stifle
• Natural base width
Areas to Evaluate Muscle
Hip/Pin width
Round
Lower quarter
Width between their hocks
Base width
Arial Viewpoints for Muscle
Behind Shoulder
Loin
Rib
Stifle
Carcass Terminology
• There are two main components of the animal’s
carcass that need to be discussed in oral reasons
of a steer class
• Potential Yield Grade
• Potential Quality Grade
Yield Grade/Cutability
• Yield grade pertains to the relationship of fat and
muscle
• The term “cutability” is commonly used in place
of “yield grade”
• Low numerical yield grades are synonymous with
high cutability. This is found on animals that
have large amounts of muscle in relation to a
small amount of fat thickness
Quality Grade
• Quality grade refers to the amount of marbling
in a steer’s carcass
• Marbling: the intermixture of fat with lean in a cut of
meat, which contributes to flavor and tenderness.
• Although we can’t see marbling on a live animal,
we can use the amount of fat the animal has in
combination with other factors to determine
potential quality grade.
• Animals of British breed type and with a high
degree of fat will typically have a more desirable
quality grade.
Balance
• Meaning of “balance”
• Stability produced by even distribution of weight on each
side of the verticle axis
• Physical equalibrium
• Typically, nicer balanced livestock are more correct
in their structure:
• Shoulder angle is related to length of neck to an extent
• Hip construction will affect the travel of an animal’s rear
skeleton
• Heavier structured livestock typically move with more
stability
• DO NOT confuse balance and eye appeal!!
Balance vs. Eye Appeal
• Balance
• Proportion of the
animal
• Eye Appeal
• Neck design; length,
cleanliness and overall shape
• Skeletal strength
• Altitude the neck is jointed
to the shoulder
• Depth of flank in
relation to chest depth
• Length of body and hip
• Bone mass in relation
to shape and amount of
muscle content
• Hip construction
• Tail head placement
Brahman Influenced
• Brahman
• Brangus
• Santa Gertrudis
• Simbrah
British/English
• Angus
• Hereford
• Polled Hereford
• Shorthorn
• Red Angus
Continentals/Exotics/European
• Charolais
• Limousin
• Simmental
• Maine-Anjou
• Chianina
• Gelbvieh