tenderness and considered a desirable trait. “There are a few places on
an animal where signifi cant fat deposits seldom occur, and one is the forearm muscle,” stated Gill. “Look at the muscling on a forearm just below the shoulder of an animal. The size of these mus- cles indicates the overall size of the entire muscle pattern including the rump and ribeye.” Most people evaluate muscling
by looking at the hindquarters and determining width between the out- sides of the stifl es. (The stifl es are the leg joints below the hip joints.) Thickness between the stifl es relates to overall muscle thickness as does the forearm muscle. “Another place to judge muscle
on an animal is the top line, par- ticularly in the loin area,” Gill ex- plained. “The depth of muscle in
The forearm muscle
rarely gets signifi cant fat deposits.
the loin area gives an indication of ribeye muscle plumpness. Looking at the loin area provides an estimate of whether an animal is above aver- age in muscling or below average. A Holstein steer is fl at out to the edges of his loin. A double-muscled animal has a butterfl y looking top line with a ‘v’ running down its back. Looking at the top line works well for evaluating muscle on feeder cattle.” “You have to be careful, howev-
er, because cattle will build layers of fat along their top line,” Gill contin- ued. Degrees of fatness can be esti- mated by looking at several places, he said. Fat normally deposits on
an animal from front to back and from top to bottom. When evaluating fat or body condi- tion, fi rst look down the topline and over the front ribs. If the back is as wide as the rear or if
the top appears square, the animal is very fat. The last places cattle normally fatten are the brisket, tail head and in the twist between the back legs. A cow’s brisket will be v-shaped at the bottom if she isn’t fat. As the animal becomes fat, the brisket fl attens across the bottom.
Where’s the beef? Once you learn to identify an
animal with good muscling, then it’s a good idea to know where the various cuts of meat are positioned. Gill explained that the high-priced cuts are referred to as the middle meats. They are located down the topline in contact with the spine and
Providing Quality Services Since 1940
Andrews & Foster Drilling Company has more than seventy years of experience providing drilling, exploration, and support services to access, utilize, store, and transport water resources.
Andrews & Foster has successfully completed projects throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Asia for clients ranging from homeowners, farmers, and ranchers to multinational construction, engineering and pipeline companies.
Licensed Water Well Contractor TX, NM, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, FL
SPECIALTY AREAS Groundwater Exploration & Development K-Line Irrigation Systems Design & Installation Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping Right of Way Maintenance & Land Clearing Natural Resource Technician Services Cathodic Protection Drilling & Installation Mining & Mineral Exploration Geotechnical Drilling Dewatering Geothermal Drilling
ANDREWS & FOSTER DRILLING COMPANY P.O. Box 348 · 1301 East Corsicana Street · Athens, Texas 75751 Phone 903.675.2353 · Fax 903.677.5678
www.andrews-foster.com ·
info@andrews-foster.com
tscra.org May 2013 The Cattleman 39
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