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• USDA Beef Carcass Grading - Yield Grading
 

The second part to beef carcass grading is determining the yield grade. The yield grade of a beef carcass determines its cutability or the amount of red meat that will come from the carcass. The USDA establishes the yield grade for graded carcasses. At Ohio Signature Beef we require that for all beef carcasses to qualify for our program that they be USDA Graded and yield grading is one component of that. Yield grading allows the processor to know the cutabability of carcasses they receive, which will eventually affect the retailer and you, the consumer.

There are four factors that are used to determine the yield grade of beef carcasses. They include: amount of external fat (backfat), amount of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat (KPH), hot carcass weight, and the amount of muscle (ribeye muscle size). Yield grades can be from 1.0 – 5.9 with 1.0 being the highest cutability and 5.9 being the lowest cutability (least desirable). For the five yield grades, here are the percentages of Boneless Closely Trimmed Retail Cuts for each yield grade: Yield Grade 1: greater than 52.3%, Yield Grade 2: 52.3% to 50.1%, Yield Grade 3: 50.0% to 47.8%, Yield Grade 4: 47.7% to 45.5%, and Yield Grade 5: less than 45.5%.

The amount of backfat is determined by measuring the depth of fat opposite the ribeye between the 12th and 13th ribs, where the carcass is split into the front and hind quarters. Backfat plays a negative role in establishing a yield grade because the more backfat the higher (less desirable) the yield grade. As an industry we typically try to send cattle to market with 0.4 to 0.5 inches of backfat.

The USDA grader determines the amount of Kidney, Pelvic, and Heart Fat (KPH). It is an estimated percentage of the hot carcass weight. Just like with backfat, KPH fat is a negative determinant in establishing the yield grade. The more KPH fat, the less desirable the yield grade. Most carcasses will have about 2.5% KPH fat.

The Hot Carcass Weight (HCW) is the weight of the carcass once the animal is harvested and its hide, skull, and offal are taken off/out of the carcass. The Hot Carcass Weight is a negative factor in the yield grade equation because as HCW increases so does the required ribeye area, therefore the higher the HCW, the less desirable the yield grade. As an industry we target the HCW to be 700-800 lbs.

The ribeye area (REA) is measured between the 12th and 13th ribs and is measured in square inches. It plays a positive role in determining the yield grade of a carcass because the larger the ribeye the lower (more desirable) the yield grade. In the beef industry we desire the ribeye area of carcass to be 12-15 square inches.

Nationwide, the beef industry targets yield grades 1, 2, and 3. Typically, yield grades 4 and 5 are discounted because of the unneeded extra fat (waste). Yield Grade 3 is the norm and for yield grades 1 and 2 there are usually premiums distributed to the producer for those higher yielding carcasses.

At Ohio Signature Beef we do desire some external fat on the carcass. It is needed for the dry aging process to help preserve the corn-fed flavor and juiciness. During the dry aging process if an area of meat is exposed directly to the air with no covering (fat) it will begin to dry out, therefore losing some juiciness as well as it will lead to more trim loss. That is why we like to have some fat on our carcasses so consumers will always fill their craving for beef with a juicy cut of Ohio Signature Beef that is full of that All-Natural corn-fed flavor we have been enjoying for years.