A - Rump Fat

B - Ribeye and Rib Fat

C - %IMF

The rump fat is collected between the hooks and the pins of the beast. The measurement plays into the overall fat EPD of your animal and just like the rib fat, the rump characteristics affect the overall grade of the animal. Since every ranch runs their herd in unique environments, breeder should determine what level of fat they are producing and want in their herd. Selecting against the fat and you run the risk of affecting the breeding and rebreeding rate as well as the milking ability of your cow herd. Selecting for higher fats can help in some situations, but too much can get you grade discounts and inefficient gains. Having cows that maintain herself on natural forages is the key to success.

Fat Heritabitlity factor: 20-25%

The cross-sectional image is very important for the evaluation of the animal's body composition, because it is used to determine the relative muscling and fatness of the beast. The cross sectional image is probably the most difficult image to collect and the least repeatable. Collected horizontally between the 12-13th ribs, the area is measured out in square inches, thus giving you the total ribeye size. The ribeye size also plays a major role in determining the final yield grade score of the animal. Selecting bulls for muscle using only unadjusted data could mislead one into choosing the oldest bull rather than the heaviest muscling bull. EPD's are normally the most reliable way to rank your potential bull selections. Rib fat is also collected from this image and goes into your overall fat EPD as well as your yield grade scores. This trait is the most hereditary meaning it will be transferred to progeny in a shortest period of time.

Ribeye Heritabitlity factor: 35-40%

Perhaps the most important ultrasound trait of the animal. Not to be mistaken for tenderness, the %IMF in directly related to the overall juiciness and tastiness of the beef. With all the premiums being put on choice and prime cattle, it's very easy to see why so much emphasis and pressure has been placed on the marbling score. By having this data, it allows you to make solid breeding decisions to help improve the quality of beef your producing. And even though cattle is still sold by the pound, you can't take away the fact that this industry still revolves around the dining experience. Good quality beef sells no matter what and will always command higher prices. So whether your marketing your cattle private treaty or selling beef at the ranch or on a grid system, breeding for higher marbling should always be a goal of your program.

%IMF Heritabitlity factor: 30-35%

Review some of the breeds leading AI bulls and how they look from an ultrasound perspective

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