Meats Evaluation and Management

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Purpose

This event develops employment skills for students who are interested in experiencing and pursuing a career opportunity in the meat industry. Those who participate will become more knowledgeable consumers of meat and meat animal products and/or involved in the industry of marketing and managing. There are many job opportunities today that deal directly with the information provided in this contest. Students may continue studies in meat and food sciences related disciplines or go on to work in the meat industry at the processing, wholesale or retail levels.

 

Objectives

1. Develop employment skills for students who are interested in exploring or pursuing career opportunities in the meat animal industry. 
2. Assist the local agricultural education instructor in motivating students to become knowledgeable consumers of meat animal products and/or involved in the industry of meat animal marketing and merchandising. 
3. Develop broader analytical skills, critical thinking strategies and an understanding of appropriate meat terminology for high school students. 
4. Develop the ability to evaluate meat animal products in order to optimize economic returns to producers and industry as well as to meet the needs of the consumer. 
5. Develop cooperation and communication skills. 

 

Event Rules

1. Contestants will report for instructions (9:00 am) to the Animal Science Building, Room 123. Contestants must come prepared to work in a cold storage room. 
2. There will be no handling of wholesale cuts, exposed ribeyes of beef carcasses or identification cuts during the contest. Contestants shall not use any mechanical aid or tabular material aids in arriving at a decision. Failure to comply with these rules, as well as all other customary contest procedures, will be sufficient cause for disqualification of a contestant. 
3. All participants are expected to be prompt at their stations throughout the event; no provision will be made for tardiness and will cause late participants to lose event points.
4. No conversation will be allowed between participants after the individual activities begin. Conversation among participants constitutes disqualification. 

 

Event Format

Team Make-Up

1. Each team will be comprised of 3 or 4 members. The top 3 members’ scores will be 
   used to determine the total team score. 
2. Schools with less than three contestants may enter one or two individuals to compete for individual honors. 
3. Alternates will be allowed to participate in the contest providing there is room and dependent on the number of teams entered. 

Equipment

1. Clothing-Participants must come to the event prepared to work in a cold storage facility (approximately 4 C) for approximately two hours. Participants are required to wear protective clothing 1) hairnets, 2) warm clothing and 3) proper footwear. 
2. Each participant must bring No. 2 pencils and a clean clipboard. Participants must not bring any blank paper, notes, training aids, other electronic items, purses or backpacks. 

Event Schedule

Each contestant shall complete the event in the time allotted: 

• Identify 30 retail cuts (1 minute/cut) 
• Quality and Yield grade – 4 beef carcasses (10 minutes) 
• Four Placing Classes (10 minutes/class) 
• Placing two classes and Questions (Placing: 10 minutes/class & Questions: 10 questions) 

Identify 30 Retail Cuts (210 pts) 

Participants will identify 30 retail meat cuts found on the “Meats Identification Card.” 

• Only the cuts listed on the Retail Cuts Coding sheet are eligible to be used in this event. 
• Participants will be given one point for correct species identification, one point for correct primal cut identification, one point for correct cookery and three points for correct retail trade name. 
• Answers will be recorded on a computerized scorecard. 
• CLARIFICATION OF TERMS FOR RETAIL ID 
  
  • CHOP—Smaller, flat cuts of meat, usually from the pork, veal or lamb rib, loin or shoulder, generally ranging from ½” to 1½” in thickness. A chop usually is of a size to be a single meal portion. 
  • SLICE—A section of meat, usually less than one inch thick, taken from the center or either side of the center of the leg of pork, lamb or veal. 
  • STEAK—A flat cut of meat, larger than a chop, ranging from ¾” to 1½” of thickness cut from various parts of a beef carcass, or the shoulder of pork and veal. The size of a steak often is sufficient to provide more than one portion. 
  • ROAST (Meat Cut)—Cuts of meat larger than steaks, chops or slices (usually two or more inches thick). This cut is intended to serve more than two people. 

Beef Quality and Yield Grading (80 points) 

Participants will quality grade and yield grade four beef carcasses. 

• Quality Grading: Participants may or may not use the training aid provided for Beef Grading. If using the Training Aid II (located at end of the Meats Evaluation section), the participant may give the carcass skeletal maturity score and lean maturity score and calculate a final maturity. Then they will assign a marbling score based on USDA standards and then determine the final quality grade. The participant should complete the section of answers for quality grading on the computerized scorecard. 
  
  • Ten points are awarded for each correct grade. Each will be scored for the applicable adjacent grade as follows: 10, 8, 5, 0. However, in the case of “B” Maturity, Select High and Select Low will be awarded zero points. 
• Yield Grading: Participants may or may not use the training aid provided for Beef Grading. If using the Training Aid II, participants may write in the carcass weight which is given for each carcass, estimate the carcass preliminary yield grade based on USDA Standards, and then adjust the preliminary yield grade using “Ribeye Area”, “Carcass Weight,” and “% Kidney, Pelvic and Heart Fat.” After completing these steps, the participant may write in the final “Yield Grade” to the nearest one-tenth of a grade. The participant should complete the section of answers for yield grading on the computerized scorecard. 
  
  • Full points will be earned for a correct answer and 1/10th above or below official yield grade. A two-point deduction will be made for 2/10th – 5/10th above or below official yield grade. A four-point deduction for 6/10th – 9/10th above or below official yieldgrade. Zero points will be awarded for answers 1 yield grade above or below the official yield grade. 
• Official United States Department of Agriculture Yield Grades are 1.0 – 5.9. 
  
  • Example: Official Yield Grade (FYG Official) = 2.2 FYG 2.1- 2.3 = full points (8) 
    FYG 1.7 – 2.0 or 2.4-2.7 = minus 2 points 
    FYG 1.3 – 1.6 or 2.8 – 3.1 = minus 4 points 
    Zero points for any FYG a full yield grade above or below official FYG 

Four placing classes selected from the following (200 pts) 

• 1 class of 4 beef carcasses 
• 2 classes of retail cuts - beef, pork or lamb 1 class of 4 pork carcasses 
• 1 class of 4 wholesale pork cuts (hams or pork loins) 
• 1 class of 4 beef wholesale cuts (ribs, rounds, loins, or short loins) 

Classes with Placing and Questions (100 pts for placing) (50 pts for Questions) 

• Two classes will be selected from the list of classes in item VII to be placed. 
• Then (10) minutes will be allowed to place each class 
• Then 10 questions will be asked covering both classes. 

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Scan sheets will be used to mark all placing classes, questions, grades, and retail identification. Scan sheets (National Meat Evaluation scan sheet - #480-4) will be provided. Visit www.judgingcard.com to view a sample sheet. Come prepared with #2 pencils, scan sheets, and clipboard. Individuals completing scan sheets with anything other than a #2 pencil (i.e. pen) will be disqualified.

 

Scoring

Retail Meat Cut Identification - 210 
Quality Grading - 40 
Yield Grading - 40 
Placing of 4 Classes - 300 
Questions on these classes - 50 
Total Points 
Individual - 640 
Team - 1920 

 

Tiebreakers

If ties occur, the following events will be used in order to determine award recipients: 
Individual 

1. Identification Retail Meat Cuts 
2. Grading 
3. Class Questions 

Team 

1. Retail ID total of highest three scores 
2. Grading total of highest three scores 
3. Class questions total of highest three scores 

 

References

This list of references is not intended to be all-inclusive. Other sources may be utilized and teachers are encouraged to make use of the very best instructional materials available. The following list contains references that may prove helpful during event preparation. 

Online Practice Materials

• ICEV Online
• American Meat Science Association
• Terminology, Retail ID Training and online practice contests
• Past contest identification pictures, practice classes and FFA tests
• Practice marbling sets
• Retail ID PPT
• Mississippi Meat Judging Manual
• ID and Parts PPT
• National FFA CDE Handbook and past content resources

Supplemental Meat Evaluation Resources for purchase

• ICEV Meat Judging Practice Kit
• Nasco Education Meat Judging Practice Kit
• Meat with Mafi – Comprehensive meat judging flash drive 

Supplemental Materials and Forms

Oklahoma FFA Retail Meats ID Scan Sheet 480-4