Potential Value of Ultrasound to Sort Feeder Cattle into More Uniform Groups for Finishing and Marketing

Cattle in three experiments were scanned with ultrasound as feeders to measure ribeye area and thickness of fat cover to determine if cattle could be sorted into outcome groups with respect to carcass yield. Sorting the cattle into low fat cover or large ribeye groups resulted in improved carcass yield grades. There were no effects on carcass quality grades related to sorting of the cattle. Cattle with greater fat cover at the beginning of the feeding period were heavier, seemed to be more mature and had less muscle growth during the finishing period. There were no significant differences in gain among the groups, but cattle with more fat cover had poorer feed efficiency. Ultrasound seems to have potential to sort feeder cattle, but before it can be used in practice, growth curves need to be developed to predict final end points of individual cattle.

Iowa State Daily (March 22, 2012)

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AgEdS/Hort 465 Class: Horticulture Enterprise Management

The production of local fruit and vegetables is a rapidly expanding segment of Iowa agriculture. The new ISU AgEdS/Hort 465 class trains future growers in the management and operation of diversified horticultural enterprises on an Iowa farm situation. Management of the finances, production, and marketing is performed by the students. The course is structured as a business and is guided through decisions made by student committees (finance, operations, production, and marketing committees). Each committee investigates the feasibility of a desired enterprise before coming together to make a final decision. The course was offered for the first time in 2011.