. Agri-news. Agriculture. Phone (403)427-2121. cocococococococ: March 30,1992 Predicting what's under the wool Ultrasound may be a tool to help lamb producers meet the challenge of providing leaner lamb says an Alberta Agriculture sheep specialist. In response to consumer demand for leaner lamb, a new classification system for lamb carcasses is expected this fall says Kim Stanford of the beef cattle and sheep branch. The new system proposes paying producers for their slaughter lambs based in part on the percentage of lean meat in the carcass. The challenge to sheep producers will be in selecti
. Agri-news. Agriculture. Phone (403)427-2121. cocococococococ: March 30,1992 Predicting what's under the wool Ultrasound may be a tool to help lamb producers meet the challenge of providing leaner lamb says an Alberta Agriculture sheep specialist. In response to consumer demand for leaner lamb, a new classification system for lamb carcasses is expected this fall says Kim Stanford of the beef cattle and sheep branch. The new system proposes paying producers for their slaughter lambs based in part on the percentage of lean meat in the carcass. The challenge to sheep producers will be in selecting breeding stock to meet the consumer demand for lean, muscular lamb," Stanford says. Predicting a lamb's carcass composition by visual appraisal is difficult she says. "By the time the lambs are hanging from the rail in the slaughter plant, it's a little too late to save lean, well-muscled lambs for breeding ; One possible means of predicting carcass composition in live sheep is the use of real-time ultrasound. Real-time ultrasound provides an image of body tissues and has been used for pregnancy dignosis both for humans and sheep. Results from a recent research trial conduced by Alberta Agriculture in co-operation with Agriculture Canada demonstrate ultrasound can be used to predict both subcutaneous (under the skin) fat depth and ribeye area in sheep. If you know a lamb's weight, a measurement of the depth of fat under the skin will provide a good estimate of carcass lean meat yield, while the measurement of the area of the ribeye muscle provides an estimate of overall carcass muscling," says Stanford. Previous attempts at predicting carcass composition in sheep were only moderately successful she notes. "Some physical characteristics of sheep, such as the presence of wool, loose skin and a mobile subcutaneous fat layer made it difficult to collect accurate ultrasound ; This study, she adds, demonstrates recent advances in ul
Size: 2108px × 1186px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookc, bookcentury1900, bookleafnumber133, booksubjectagriculture
