The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-11-17
BY GILBERT 0UsLER
In The Montana Farmer.


pound? What points do buyers con-
slider in determining what prices they
can pay for different punches Of steers?
such IL the substance Of an inquiry
from reader of the Montana Farmer.
As this answer is being written. prime
beef steers are selling as high as $12.s0
q hundred pounds in the Chicago mar
ket, which common light steers are
selling as low as $3.50. Evidently the
differences in value are tremendous or
the slaughterers would not discrimi-
nate so much.
II a steer buyer for one Of the pack
ing companies were asked to enumer-
ate the primary reasons for the wide
range in value it is probah that he
would say that the poor nd the good
steers shwed three importnt differences:
l. In dressing percentage or percent
age of carcass to live weight
g. In the proportion OF the weight
of the carcass which is in the most
valuable cuts.
!: In the character of the meat it
self. consumers beinS willing to pay a
much higher price for meat from the
higher grades Of steers.
The best steers reaching market will
dress as high as GO to IS per cent of
carcass to live weight. while common
beef steers may dress as low as As per
cent with Gamer steers still lower.
Thin old dairy cows sometimes produce
only 81 per cent. or even less. of car
cass. This means that the offal varies
from about SO per cens of the live
weight In the best steers to 63 per cent
in cast off shells" from rhe dairy.
The offal includes the hide and hair.
the blood. the feet and legs I'M as far
as the knees and hook joints. the heart.
liver. kidneys. some loose internal fat
and the digestive tract with it's con-
tents. The hide makes up about to
per cent of the live weight, or from
one-fourth to one-thirc of the offal.
The tallow varies from a negligible
amount to as much as per cent of
the live weight. Hides at present are
worth from 10 10 221a cents pound.
which is more than the average value
of the carcass. other parts of the
Offal are worked up into by-products.
but so much of the weight is in the
stomach. intestines and their contents
that it's average value per pound Is
much less than that of the carcass.
It is easy to understand why the
probable dressing percentage Is a
prominent factor in the mind of the
buyer in deciding how much he can
bid for bunch of cattle. Many pack
ing companies REQUIRE their buyers to
record their estimates or dressing per
cents each time they MAKE a purchase
and the BUYERS are furnished the ac-
tual record later on. so that they be-
come expert in making estimates
w 1x-t1 {hoy- wit
centase over one point On the average.
If a steer which sells for S12 hum
dred pounds on the present market
dresses out 63 per cent of carcass worth
rs cents a pound then a steer dress
ing IS per cent assuming that other
factors such as cost of slaughter VAL
ues of by-products and Of the carcass
per pound were the same. would be
worth only $11.10. or 30 cents per hum
dred pounds less. For there would be
five pounds less beef worth IS cents a
pound, In each hundred pounds of
weight on the hoof. Likewise. a steer
dressing only As per cent would be
worth only $3.50. 1t Rappens. however.
that the carcass from the steer dress
Ing only AZ per cent would not be
worth IS cents a pound. so that the
difference in value on the f1oof would
be much greater than the dressing per
cent alone would make.
Everybody knows all parts Of the
carcass do nor bring the same price
per pound. The housewife will pay
much more for steak or roast than she
will for stew cut from the same beast
Naturally steer whose carcass is rel
atively heavy in the valuable parts
should cntsell one whose weight was
more largely in the cheaper cuts.
In cutting up side of beef into
wholesale cuts, it is divided into fore
and hind quarters, generally between
the last two ribs. The round" is sep
arated from the lon and flank by
cut about halfway between the hips
ard tail. head down to the hind TANKS
short distance in front of the stiae
Joint. Another cut from the rear of
this flank to the middle of the last rib
separates the "loin" above from the.
flank" below. In dividing thu fore
quarter. the "foreshank" is cut off at
the shoulder Joint and the "plate" be-
low is separated from the "rib' and
'chuck" above by a cut between the
NTH and sixth ribs. which lie just at
the rear OF the shoulder blade.
The prices per pound OF these differ
ent parts of the carcass are shown in
the first column Of asures in the Ia
BILE which follows. The lon. RIB and
round are much the mos. valuable.
These Include the upp.r half Of tire
steers body from the rear Of the
shoulders on back to ana ina uding the
thigh. The cheaper cuts include the
lower and forward part of the body.
The third cn.umn Of figures in the ta-
Bile shows thu dsaai percentage Of the
carcass weight that Is found In each
wholesale cut and the fourth gives the
percentage Of the valu. Of the entire |
carcass in each cut when prices are
as given ~ the first column Of figures. !
Prices of High and Low Grade Reef !
and Relative Importance OF the |
Wholesale Cuts. Chicago Wholesale !
Prices:
% Of 81 Of
Carcass Carcass |
Weight Weight |
High 1.nu IN hc 4