Abstract:
Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. (1978) 12: 183 BREED AND CROSSING EFFECTS ON CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF STEERS J.H.L. MORGAN*, A.J. CLARK*, D.W. McKEOWN* and G.R. SAUL* Information is needed on the carcass characteristics of steers of alternative breed and crosses produced from suckling herds and grazed on pasture under the conditions pertaining in Victoria. Each year from 1970 to 1973, Hereford (H) and Friesian (F) cows were inseminated with semen from H, F, Charolais (C) and Brahman (B) bulls in an experiment described by Morgan, Saul and McKeown (1976). The steer progeny-were weaned at eight months of age and grazed on improved pasture without supplementation. A proportion of the steers were slaughtered at mean ages of 24, 27 and.33 months at a large abattoir where one side was boned out by their staff with fat cover trimmed to a maximum of 12 mm. The results of least squares analysis are presented in Table 1; there were no significant interactions between the effects of the dam and sire breeds. TABLE 1: Carcass data of steers adjusted to a common age of 27 months - Differences between the carcass characteristics of,the two dam breeds can be partly attributed to the heavier carcass weights of the progeny of F dams. This demonstrates the pronounced and long lasting effect of the higher milk production of the F dams. The carcass grading, however, favoured the progeny of H dams. The carcases of C sired steers had less fat cover, larger eye muscle areas and a higher percentage of saleable ineat than the others, a result similar to many other reports (Gifford 1977). Of interest is that F sired steers were similar to C sired steers in carcass weight but had a greater depth of subcutaneous fat cover. The carcases of B sired steers were similar to those of H sired steers but tended to be superior in dressing percentage, eye muscle area and percentage yield of saleable meat; a result suggesting that there is no apparent justification for market discrimination against steers sired by B bulls. MORGAN, J.H.L., SAUL, G.R. and McKEOWN, D.W. (1976). Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. &109. GIFFORD, D.R. (1977). Aust. J. exp. Agric. Anim, Husb. 17:533. * Pastoral Research Institute, P.O. Box 180, Hamilton, Vic. 3300. 183.