El2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 4, 2003 Pork Checkoff Funds Study On Determining Carcass Value DES MOINES, IA A new study funded by the Pork Check off to help producers find the highest value for their pigs com pares carcass measurement sys tems to show which type of car casses are overvalued or undervalued. Dr. Rodger Johnson, Universi ty of Nebraska, presented the in formation recently at the Esti mating Whole Hog Value Symposium in Des Moines. American Angus Association Sees Growth In 2002 ST. JOSEPH, Mo. The American Angus Asso ciation’s fiscal year, which ended September 30, showed growth in all major areas of business for 2002, including its entities Angus Productions Inc. and Certified Angus Beef (CAB) LLC. Registra tions of Angus cattle totaled 281,965 and CAB esti mates 540 million pounds of fresh and value-added products sold. Registrations of Angus cattle reached 281,965, an increase of nearly four percent for the year. Trans fers for the same period, which represent sales of cattle to new owners, were 164,603, a 3.5 percent in crease from fiscal 2001 as well. Sales of Angus cattle for the year were steady or up in all areas. Reported figures include a total of 553 Angus sales, including consignment, pro duction and dispersal, which were attended by regional managers representing the Association. Average prices included females, $2,474 per head, and bulls, $2,358 per head, with a total av erage for all lots of $2,402. A total of 2,663 new regular members joined the Association during the year, an increase of 3 percent from fiscal 2001. New junior member ships for the year totaled 1,450. For the third year in a row, sales of Certified Angus Beef products passed the half billion pounds mark, maintaining the CAB position as the largest breed-specific branded beef program in the world. Projected annual sales of 540 mil lion pounds were reported. O f that total, retail licensees sold a projected 292 million pounds, which represents more than half of the total volume for the program, while food service licensees sold a projected 167 mil lion pounds. International licensees contributed a projected 70 million pounds to total sales. Value-added products accounted for nearly 12 million pounds of total sales, an increase of 25 percent from fiscal 2001. More than 12 million head of cattle were visu ally identified as being eligible for CAB. Of those cattle, 2.1 million head met Certified Angus Beef product specifications for a 17.1 percent accept ance rate. Association members continue to build upon the world’s largest database of beef cattle per- Brazilian Angus Association Launches Angus Plus Program DENTON, Texas The Brazilian Angus As sociation (ABA) has successfully launched Angus Plus in Brazil. Following the Red Angus Association of America’s (RAAA) introduction of Angus Plus in the United States, the ABA an nounced plans to incorporate a similar program into their registry. The two associations have launched an adver tising campaign targeted at central Brazil that promotes crossbreeding Angus Plus and Red Angus on Nelore cows, which are the predomi nant breed in the region. In addition, the RAAA and ABA have funded research aimed at devel oping EPD base and scale adjustments, which will give the two associations the ability to di rectly compare EPDs. Angus Plus are Angus/Zebu derivative cattle thaf are a minimum of 50% Angus (red or black), with the remaining percentage being Zebu. According to Dr. Bob Hough, Executive Sec retary of the RAAA, “By not having a fixed per centage of Zebu influence, Angus Plus can be custom blended to meet customers’ needs with the goal of having as little ear as necessary. The ABA and the RAAA are extremely excited about the Angus Plus program, and believe that it will help spread Angus genetics into regions that re quire Zebu influence in the cattle to achieve the necessary level of heat tolerance.” “Understanding carcass mea surement systems is valuable in matching types of pigs with the system that best evaluates their amount of lean,” said Johnson. “Marketing pigs is a major chal lenge for pork producers. Carcass weight, backfat and/or loin depth measurements typically de termine the value of their pigs.” This Pork Checkoff-funded study developed new fat-free lean formance records by submitting data at record lev els. The breed improvement department received records from more than 8,000 herds. The total num ber of records received was up 3.4 percent, which included 291,320 birth, 283,816 weaning, and 141,807 yearling weights. The use of ultrasound technology to gather body composition measurements on cattle continued to increase as well, with records on more than 85,000 animals reported, a 24 percent increase from fiscal 2001. These records were submitted by more than 2,000 herds, which reflects a 19 percent increase in participation. Pasture Mixes "Specific by Design" AGRICULVER, SEED prediction equations for proce dures used in the industry. With more producers involved in coop erative marketing groups and producer-owned packing plants, the need for unbiased lean meat yield predictions is crucial to plan meat sales, according to Johnson. The study evaluated more than 1,000 carcasses viasix different procedures that packers use to value carcasses. Fat-free lean Want to Maximize Your Investment? AgriCulver Seeds WE BRING YOU TOP PERFORMING BRANDS LIKE: PLANT THE BEST mum CMJUBEVt Save with our CONSISTENT VALUE REWARDS for 2003 The Premier Forage and Pasture Specialists composition was evaluated by: carcass 10th rib backfat and loin area; last rib backfat; Fat-O- Meater, an optical probe measur ing backfat and loin area; the Carcass Value Technology Sys tem, an automatic and computer ized backfat and loin ultrasonic scanner, Ultrafom, a non-inva sive ultrasonic scanner; and live 10th rib backfat and loin area scan. Estimations from these pro cedures were compared to actual fat-free lean as measured and calculated from 10 carcass sepa ration end points, then expressed as a percentage of carcass weight. Through the procedures, re gression equations were devel oped to predict fat-free lean from the six different carcass measure ment systems used in current harvest systems. The most accu rate equations include backfat and loin area carcass measure ments at the 10th rib, and the live animalscan that also includes 10th rib backfat and loin area, giving a fat-free lean estimate within 3.1 percent and 3.2 per cent, respectively, when com pared with actual calculations. S H r I PLANT Harvest The Fastest Growing National Brand -v. $ DAIRY BANQUET ' S Cwwwwwjwwvyw BRAND FORAGE PRODUCTS Trumansburg, NY 14886 Phone: 1-800-836-3701 www.agriculverseeds.com Measurement systems using loin depth were less accurate than those using loin area. Measure ments of mid-line carcass backfat were the least accurate. ‘The project includes carcass separation data from numerous Checkoff-funded programs, from the National Barrow Show Sire Progeny Test in 1996 and 2000, to the Quality Lean Growth Mod eling Project and the Genetics of Lean Efficiency Project,” said Phil Howerton, a producer from Chilhowee, Mo., and chair of the Pork Checkofflndustry. “This study can really become a benefit to a number of producers, should they decide to take a heightened interest in the value of their hogs. Understanding packer value ma trices can lead to improved mar keting strategies, and perhaps improved profits.” Proceedings from the Estimat ing Whole Hog Value Symposi um will soon be available from the National Pork Board. Con tact 800-456-PORK for details, or go to www.porkboard.org. 6SSSS m !»«OW
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