Should you pick a small feedyard over a large one to obtain the best quality-grading carcass? If you consider summarized data compiled by Certified Angus Beef^®, LLC (CAB), the answer is probably “yes.”

But be patient before placing your calves in one or the other. Your breed, environment, preconditioning program, distance from the yard, expected feed efficiency and other factors should be considered, says Ted McCollum, Texas A&M University beef cattle specialist.

“You can't be sure if the difference in quality grade (QG) is because the cattle are fed in a large or small yard, or where the yards are located,” says McCollum, commenting on the CAB report. “Smaller yards in northern states may have access to better-grading cattle types.”

CAB says more than 50% of cattle on feed are fed in yards of more than 32,000-head capacity. Meanwhile, CAB data shows yards larger than 20,000 head have a 41% lower CAB brand acceptance rate than the average of their counterparts. Small yards also have 17-20% more cattle grading Choice or higher.

“That's more than a coincidence,” says Larry Corah, CAB vice president. “Larger feedlots face a number of challenges that contribute to this QG decrease.”

Adds Mark McCully, CAB supply director, “We recognize some difference could be due to feedlot location, as most of the larger yards have access to southern-type cattle. But cattle that find their way into our dataset tend to be of similar quality.”

In observing CAB's recent numbers (1999-2006) of cattle utilizing its CAB Feedyard Licensing Program and detailed carcass data:

• Feedyards less than 10,000-head capacity fed 41,078 CAB-designated cattle. Of those, 77% graded Choice and above, and 27% were CAB accepted.

• More individual attention

  Feedyards of 10,000-20,000 head fed 21,030 cattle and registered 74% Choice or above with a 27.8% CAB acceptance rate.

• In feedyards of more than 20,000-head capacity, 77,518 cattle graded 57.8% Choice and 15.8% were CAB accepted.