Beef carcass yield grading is often based on outdated visual assessments that don’t accurately reflect the red meat yield. As cattle have become heavier and fatter, the disconnect between live weight and usable lean meat has widened—leading to yield grades that misrepresent carcass value and penalize producers optimizing for real performance.

Excess fat adds carcass weight but reduces red meat yield. Processors must trim and discard it, increasing waste and lowering value. This misalignment between weight and usable product means producers may be rewarded for fat, not muscle—ultimately reducing profitability across the supply chain.

Advanced tools like x-ray imaging, dual-energy technology, and digital carcass cameras can objectively measure muscle, fat, and bone in real time. These technologies offer data-rich insights that far surpass traditional visual grading, helping better align pricing with actual carcass value.

Beef-on-dairy cattle tend to be leaner, more uniform, and efficient. However, without careful genetic selection, they may lack marbling or optimal muscling. The episode highlights that while these crosses offer opportunity, they require new evaluation tools and standards to unlock their full value.

To get paid fairly, producers need systems that reward muscle, marbling, and red meat yield—not just live weight or visual grades. Dr. Woerner advocates for adopting objective measurement tools and data feedback loops that tie carcass results back to individual animal management.

When every segment—producer, feeder, packer, retailer—uses different metrics for value, inefficiencies arise. The episode emphasizes the need for a connected supply chain using shared data and transparent standards to ensure that quality and performance are rewarded at every stage.

Technology enhances consistency, reduces subjectivity, and allows for real-time decision-making. It also helps build consumer trust by improving eating quality and traceability. When applied correctly, these tools can raise both product quality and profitability.

Breedr enables producers and supply chain partners to capture and analyze key performance data from birth to box. In the episode, co-founder Ian Will explains how Breedr’s tools support data-led decisions that lead to more consistent, profitable cattle—and better collaboration across the chain.

Dr. Woerner is a professor at Texas Tech University and a leading expert in meat science, carcass composition, and beef quality. His work helps define how carcass traits translate into value, and he is a vocal advocate for using better tools to modernize the beef industry.

You can watch the full episode featuring Dr. Dale Woerner on our website [Insert link], or listen on your favorite podcast platform. This episode is packed with actionable insights for producers, feeders, packers, and retailers looking to thrive in the modern beef industry.