The role of instrument grading in a beef value-based marketing system

A functional value-based marketing system must have a means of identifying the value of individual animals or carcasses. The U.S. beef industry has had a strong interest in instrument grading for the past 11 yr. With the major shift toward a value-based system of trading (carcass), the beef industry has defined its needs for an instrument to assess value. Ultrasound seems to be the technology with the greatest chance of success. This paper outlines the history of instrument grading and industry's progress and plans in this area.