Field Day Spotlights Next Gen Grading

By Scout Nelson

More than 100 attendees gathered near Leoti for the KLA/Kansas State University Ranch Management Field Day at Larson Ranch. Registration began at 3:30 p.m. CT, and the event concluded with a free beef dinner. The program invited all livestock producers and others involved in the business to hear timely research and practical guidance for herd and carcass management.

A featured session examined why the beef industry still relies on a yield grading system from the 1960s, even though cattle genetics and size have changed. Texas Tech University meat scientist Dale Woerner explained that the current equation only accounts for about 40% of the saleable red meat yield variation seen between carcasses, limiting its value as a market signal. “It doesn’t account for trim, thin meats or other parts of a carcass that contribute to the cutout value,” he said.

To improve accuracy, Woerner and collaborators are testing CT scanning, 3D imaging, and artificial intelligence (AI). CT delivers excellent measurement of muscle, fat, and bone, yet it is too slow for plant line speeds. By using CT’s precision to train 3D imaging and AI, the goal is real-time red meat yield predictions. Clearer signals could reward lean muscle instead of excess fat, improving resource efficiency and profitability.

Another session focused on bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF), a fatal condition seen in the western Great Plains. Researchers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and the USDA Meat Animal Research Center compared 102 BCHF-affected cattle with healthy pen mates and identified two significant genetic risk factors. Lead researcher Brian Vander Ley, DVM, reported that cattle with both markers faced substantially higher BCHF rates, while those without the markers had just a 1% chance of developing the condition. He noted that the two-gene test could be most useful for operators of affected feedlots in the Western Plains and ranches impacted by BCHF, informing breeding and management decisions.

Ranch owners discussed the operation’s history and led a virtual facility tour, followed by a walk-through and Q&A. The proceedings from the field day can be found here. The Farm Credit Associations of Kansas and Huvepharma sponsored the event.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-kali9