“I truly believe we can do this as an industry. Genetic advancements, reproductive technology advancement? We live in an era now where we can multiply the power of our genetics more than we ever have been able to before.” — Dale Woerner

As we input individual measurements for those factors, we use a computation to get to a number ranging from 1 to 5 on yield grade. Yield Grade (YG) 1 indicates the leanest, highest-yielding cattle and YG 5 indicates the fattest, lowest-yielding cattle.

The good news is marbling works to indicate eating quality. The bad news is yield grade is not working, says Woerner.

“Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the relationship between ribeye area and true carcass muscling has grown apart to the point where ribeye area doesn’t explain very much at all of the true variation in muscularity,” says Woerner. “In fact, if you take ribeye area and red meat yield from a carcass, it’s about 4% related. Not 40%, but just 4%.”

So, what’s next?

So how do we go about fixing a seemingly broken metric? Technology is the key, Woerner says.

Technology capable of grading at processing line speeds could take our industry to the next level, but previously this technology has been restricted to the medical field.

“Medical technology seems to be where we always start in [agriculture] when we look at precision measurements, specifically on the animal or the carcass,” Woerner notes. “We’ve evaluated CT scanning, which is an x-ray technology. We’ve even looked at MRI scanning and DEXA scanning, but with x-ray technologies we’re able to look into the animal’s fat, muscle and bone. Those technologies are not only accurate, they are measurements of yield.”

With the help of these innovations, our industry could quantify — with a very high level of accuracy and confidence — how much muscle, fat and bone is in a carcass. The issue? Medical equipment is incredibly costly and — unless specialized — isn’t designed for anything larger than a human.

With that in mind, Texas Tech University researchers began looking at technologies that could predict what x-ray shows us. The current project involves 3D images being used to measure confirmation, shape and volume of carcasses.

Through statistical modeling and even some artificial intelligence models, researchers were able to estimate red meat yield with a high level of accuracy. Early models are showing 90% or greater accuracy with a 3D image that can be captured in an instant, Woerner shares.

“I truly believe we can do this as an industry. Genetic advancements, reproductive technology advancement? We live in an era now where we can multiply the power of our genetics more than we ever have been able to before,” Woerner stresses. “What it takes to make those improvements, though, is good data. We’re lacking good data because yield grade is failing us.”

With the help of peer institutions, the Texas Tech University research team is ready to begin collecting crucial data. To ensure accuracy, data will need to be collected from the South, the Midwest, the North, the East and the West. With collaboration from fellow institutions and the weight of discovering a solution growing heavy, the researchers at Texas Tech are poised to begin bringing this dream to reality.

The information above is summarized from the Sept. 25, 2024, episode of Angus at Work. To access the full episode — including more information on red meat yield and the current cattle-processing chain here in the United States — check out our Angus at Work archive on www.angus.org.

Editor's note: [Lead photo by JackF from Getty Images.]

Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 8-A