Genetic Analysis of the Iowa Beef Tenderness and Carcass Evaluation Project

Steers from the Iowa Beef Tenderness and Carcass Evaluation Project were harvested and carcass data, including Warner-Bratzler shear force values, were collected. The heritability estimate of Warner-Bratzler shear force in this data set was 0.45, and the genetic correlation between tenderness and marbling score was -0.40. Steers with more marbling were more tender. Heritabilities for feed consumed per pound of gain and for feed consumed per day were 0.25 and 0.26 respectively. These traits were highly correlated with gain, but had no relationship to each other. The heritability of dressing percentage was 0.52. These preliminary estimates can be expected to change as more data are collected