Where are we going as cattle get bigger?

An abstract of a study by Bruns et al determining the current trajectory of cattle industry is presented. Current carcass weight trends are resulting in cutting steaks thinner to meet menu parameters. Boxed beef is surpassing acceptable weights. Excess fat is an increasing concern with percentage of YG 4 and 5 carcasses increasing from 5.7% in 1985 to 12.78% in 2015, reaching over 17% in the fall of 2015. Identifying and matching a particular biological type to a production system and slaughter group is a viable tool which will increase fed cattle efficiency while decreasing excess fat.