The value of muscle score in steers at Wagga Wagga saleyards during 2010/11

Abstract

There is an increasing emphasis in Australia on finding ways to improve retail beef yield, but no current way to commercially measure retail yield. However, there is a strong link between muscle score of the live animal as assessed in live cattle markets and subsequent meat yield measurements. Is there a credible value for muscle score in live cattle markets, and does it reflect the implied value of increased retail yield? In this paper these questions are investigated using price data from some 550 lots of steers sold at Wagga Wagga saleyard during the period July 2010 to June 2011. Two different types of hedonic models are applied and tested against each other. The preferred model explains..