Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
9/27/00
Contacts:
Daryl Strohbehn, Iowa Beef Center, (515) 294-3020, stroh@iastate.edu
Wendy Miller, Iowa Beef Center, (515) 294-BEEF, wmiller@iastate.edu
Iowa Beef Tenderness Project Enters Its Second Year
AMES, Iowa -- Imagine being guaranteed that the next steak you purchased would be the most tender piece of meat you've ever eaten. And every steak you bought thereafter.
Results like this may not be too far into the future, especially with implementation of new technologies used at Iowa State University's Iowa Beef Center.
"We rolled out the Iowa Beef Tenderness and Carcass Evaluation Project last year, and it's been a resounding success," said Daryl Strohbehn, extension beef specialist for the Iowa Beef Center and coordinator of the project. "We tested a total of 120 steers by 10 different sires and evaluated them on ribeye steak tenderness based on scientific procedure. We had some very interesting results."
Variations in meat tenderness due to sire genetics were documented. The sire with progeny having the most tender results was 14 percent better than average while the sire with the least tender results was 28 percent less tender than the average.
"Basically, the Iowa Beef Tenderness Project seeks to identify which sires produce offspring highly desirable in tenderness," Strohbehn said. "Prior to this time, Iowa producers had not had the opportunity to do a genetic evaluation of this kind on their own cattle."
"Additionally, we want to establish Iowa producers as a source of reference genetics, create better producer awareness and improve Iowa producer knowledge," he continued. "All of this falls in line with the Iowa Beef Center's mission to make Iowa one of the premier beef producing states in the country."
Calves enlisted in last year's study were fed by Roger Chambers, a Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity cooperating feedlot in southwest Iowa and tenderness evaluation was completed at the Iowa State University Meats Laboratory using Warner-Bratzler shear procedures. The shear procedures use graduating amounts of force to cut meat, simulating how much force it might take a human jaw to perform the same task.
The entry deadline for the 2000-2001 test is Nov. 1. All entries should be accompanied by a $40 per head deposit. Calves should be spring born from Feb. 1 to May 15 and be fully preconditioned, bunk broke and started on a light feed 28 days before delivery.
Again, the 2000-2001 test cattle will be fed with the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity program in southwest Iowa, and cattle delivery to the feedlot will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 6.
"For best sire testing, Iowa producers who participate in this three-year tenderness project should enroll groups of 10 to 15 head of steer and heifer calves from one sire," Strohbehn said. "Because central testing equalizes the environmental differences between producer calving locations and allows for harvesting the cattle at the optimum end-point weight and keeping contemporary grouping at its maximum, producers will receive a good assessment of genetic potential for tenderness and other carcass traits."
"Last year's cattle gained very well with a test average daily gain of 3.29 lb. Total cost of gained averaged $42.16 per cwt., while feed cost per hundredweight of gain averaged $27.85 per cwt.," he continued. "With the current corn price outlook, it's conceivable that total cost of gain could dip below $40 per cwt. in the 2000-2001 test."
For a full description of health requirements and entry information, please contact the Iowa Beef Center at (515) 294-BEEF or go to the Web site www.iowabeefcenter.org.
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