Regardless of how beef animals are finished, either by grass, grain, or a combination, market weight animals that are sent to the auction or processor as finished animals should reflect the characteristics that achieve the quality grade of "low choice" or better. While we can't always tell what the animal's intramuscular fat content will look like before it's on the rail, there are live animal characteristics that indicate that the proper fat deposition has been achieved. Finishing looks different on a purebred steer vs a dairy cross or a heifer vs a steer, but regardless of an animal's genetic background, all have characteristics which indicate market readiness.

When judging the readiness of beef cattle, the areas of interest include the tail head, brisket, ribs, flank, width of stance, dewclaws, and rope fat (heifers only). Because of genetic individuality, different animals deposit fat differently, even if they are the same breed. Therefore, the combined score from all of these points should be used to make marketing readiness decisions.

Tail Head:

Tail head fat is deposited on either side of where the tail meets the body, and is one of the most common areas to evaluate for finish. In a finished animal, there will be prominent, palpable amounts of fat present, and it can be seen as lumps of fat on either side of the tail. While evaluating, make sure not to evaluate too high up on or near the tailhead; moving a couple inches away from the attachment of the tail is where the evaluation should be done.

Brisket:

This is another common area to evaluate for finishing. Brisket fat is deposited in the hanging sac of skin between the front legs. Depending on the genetics of the animal, the fat deposit can vary in volume. Animals more prone to laying down fat will have a brisket the size of a cantaloupe, while those animals less prone to fat deposition may have one the size of a grapefruit. If there isn't enough fat deposited in this region, the skin sac will be pointed rather than rounded and not as distended. Knowing what the finish of the breed you are working with looks like will help you make the determination of readiness, prevent calling an animal finished that isn't, or over-finishing an animal by mistake.

Ribs:

The definition of the ribs is another way to determine finish. An appropriate amount of fleshing and fat over the ribs feels equivalent to the back of your hand; you should be just able to feel the individual ribs, though there should be a good cover of fat. From a distance, the individual ribs should either be just barely or not visible. The visibility of the ribs will depend on individual genetics and gender of the animal. However, unfinished animals will feel akin to the backs of your fingers, where each rib can be easily distinguished

Other bony structures that can be evaluated while looking at the ribs are the hooks and pins. If they are prominent, then there is not sufficient fat under the skin. These areas will be more rounded on a fattier animal.

Flank:

This is the area between each hind leg and the belly. As the animal accumulates fat, the skin pocket here will as well. It'll drop away from the body, creating a loose flap. The extra fat also makes this fold of skin thicker. This area is not considered finished if it feels thin, is pulled up close to the body, and is angular in appearance.

Width of Stance:

As an animal accumulates fat, its legs will naturally spread apart to accommodate the wider girth of the abdomen. The exact distance will vary widely from animal to animal, so monitoring the width of stance over time can be helpful. Care should be taken to not confuse a widening due to fat and a widening due to the accumulation of muscle.

Dewclaws:

Dewclaws are located at on the rear of the leg at a height equivalent with the top of the hoof. Beef animals which are not yet ready for market will have these sitting more prominently on the surface of the skin. As fat is deposited, the fat around the dewclaws will increase, giving them a "sucked in" appearance as the fat bulges out around them.

Rope Fat:

This fat deposit is unique to heifers and is located from the bottom of the labia down to the area between the two back legs. In a finished animal, it will have the appearance of a braided rope. When present, it will have the correlation to a low choice quality grade.

When evaluating the finished characteristics on any animal, it should be noted that some of these characteristics will be less prominent in some breeds vs others. For instance, English breeds such as the Angus and Holstein crosses will accumulate more fat in their tailheads and briskets than continental breeds. Knowing the characteristics of the breed you are raising will assist in making management decisions to best decide when your animals are ready for market.

While fatting an animal is preferred from a quality perspective, there is a point where an animal can be over finished. Beef animals deposit fat in the pattern of perirenal (fat around the kidneys) first, followed by intermuscular (between muscle groups), subcutaneous (under the skin, or cap fat) and finally intramuscular (inside muscle, or marbling). While over conditioning will result in more marbling, the tradeoff is that there will be more waste from trimming the subcutaneous and intermuscular fat when the animal is processed. This results in a lower yield. While not preferred by many processing plants or direct market consumers buying bulk meats, some markets accept it as a tradeoff to a higher quality grade.

Information in this article was originally shared in the Cornell Small Farms video, "Determining Market Readiness of Finished Cattle" narrated by Dr. Mike Baker, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrF5aCEAI-0&feature=emb_title