4-H and FFA kids who participated in the Lassen County Junior Livestock Auction have a big event coming up Wednesday evening in Memorial Park. The annual carcass contest is the end to their livestock projects and the final results can prove to be rewarding and educational.
The award presentation will be held August 21st at 6:30p.m. in the park and all 4-H and FFA members who sold a steer, lamb or hog at the fair are encouraged to attend. Checks will be available.
What is a carcass contest you might ask? Carcass contests help create an awareness of current carcass qualities that are considered desirable by the industry and by consumers.
It’s a chance for the kids, and buyers to know how their meat really compares, not just by the look of the animal but by the actual quality of the meat.
The contest judge uses carcass quality (how good the carcass is) and yield (how much meat is in the carcass) grades to identify superior carcasses. ‘Carcass quality components’ consist of carcass age and marbling (flecks of fat in the ribeye). Whereas ‘carcass yield components’ consist of carcass weight, ribeye area, fat thickness, and other factors that are species specific.
