Beef production from cull dairy cows: a review from culling to consumption

Abstract

Although more than 3 million head of dairy cows enter the food supply chain in the U.S. every year, research on this topic remains limited and scarce. Meat production from dairy cows is a significant component of beef production, accounting for almost 10% of U.S. commercial beef production. Thus, the purpose of this review is to demonstrate the importance of dairy cows as a beef source, and to provide an overview on topics from farm to meat product – culling, marketing, transportation, welfare, body composition and its relationship with lactation particularities, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and traceability. Current scientific evidence has shown that culling a dairy cow at an appropriate time has beneficial effects on cow welfare and, consequently, cow value. During marketing the dairy cow is visually evaluated for health and factors associated with its expected carcass value; thus, marketing a well-conditioned cow will ensure that the animal is fit for transportation and provides high carcass yield. However, limitations such as low body condition score, lameness or mobility problems, and visual defects remain persistent. Even though beef harvest plants accommodate cows in all body composition states, the current carcass grade system does not reflect the mature cow industry needs. Therefore, improvement of the grading system could maximize carcass utilization and increase cow carcass value by recognizing subprimal cuts that could be merchandised as whole muscle cuts. Lastly, implementation of a traceability system would unify information from the farm to harvest assisting the industry in making further advancements.

Impact of Various Dry-Aging Methods on Meat Quality and Palatability Attributes of Beef Loins (M. longissimus lumborum) from Cull Cow

“…Additionally, each panelist was also asked to rate each trait as acceptable or unacceptable and to designate each sample as unsatisfactory, everyday, better than everyday, or premium quality. The term dairy cattle beef was utilized in the survey to represent beef from mature cull cows since it is commonly perceived that dairy cattle are older, and therefore the term might be more familiar to the consumers (Moreira et al, 2021).…”

Hempseed By-Product in Diets of Italian Simmental Cull Dairy Cows and Its Effects on Animal Performance and Meat Quality

“…Cull cows contribute substantially to beef production. Indeed, about 30% of the total beef produced in 2018 in Europe came from cows [1], and in the same year, 10% of total beef production in the USA derived from cull dairy cows [2]. These figures could be explained by the herd culling rate ranging from 23% to 36% [3], which has been increasing since 2004 [2].…”

“…Indeed, about 30% of the total beef produced in 2018 in Europe came from cows [1], and in the same year, 10% of total beef production in the USA derived from cull dairy cows [2]. These figures could be explained by the herd culling rate ranging from 23% to 36% [3], which has been increasing since 2004 [2]. Smith et al [4] reported that low production, udder disease or lesion and reproduction problems are the main causes of culling.…”

“…On the other hand, improving the fatty acids (FA) profile, by increasing unsaturated FA and reducing the n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) ratio [8], may be a strategy to improve the acceptability of cull dairy cow meat relative to consumers and, thus, its commercial value. However, few studies are available on cull dairy cows as a beef source [2].…”

Herd turnover rate reexamined: a tool for improving profitability, welfare, and sustainability

“…The increases in herd turnover rates that have accompanied other progressive changes in modern dairy management have also coincided with lower condemnation rates at slaughter, a discontinuation of the practice of slaughtering recumbent cows for human consumption, 5 and increasingly important contributions by the dairy sector to the beef, biomedical reagent, and pet food supply chains. 6,7 In the efficiency and economic management of the dairy herd, it is wise to think of the operation as a number of slots available to be occupied by cows. In some dairy operations, the number of slots will simply be the number of stalls, and in others, it will be governed by milking facility capacity, housing space, or other constraints.…”