Livestock Management RANCHING
Cattle Operating Systems: Muscle Structure
Reproduction of calves and production of beef require the proper muscle structure
By Robert Fears
Chuck Brisket
Rib Plate
Loin Flank Illustration courtesy of Texas Beef Council Round
Editor’s note: Muscling of a cow is the third of our series of topics on cattle anatomy. The fi rst 2 ar- ticles addressed the diges- tive system that allows the cow to derive her nutri- ents from forages and the skeleton system that en- ables her to be productive through travel, breeding and calving. Four func- tions of her muscle sys- tem are to produce motion, provide body stabilization, generate heat and produce beef.
38 The Cattleman May 2013
M
USCLE STRUCTURE IS MAJOR COMPONENT OF CATTLE value, and knowing how to assess muscling is important in buying and selling as well
as production. “It is important for a producer to be able to recognize
which muscles are important from the structural, mar- keting and overall aesthetically pleasing standpoints,” said Dr. Ronald Gill, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. “Since cattle are sold on a live basis in all phases of production except at the packer, muscling plays a large part in determining the perceived value of an animal.”
Visual assessments When visually assessing beef animal qualities, it
is necessary to distinguish between muscle and fat. Higher-value beef carcasses do not have excessive ex- ternal fat. Most external fat is trimmed by the packer or retail butcher. Visible deposits of intramuscular fat, known as marbling, are partly responsible for meat
thecattlemanmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94