 As sheep producers, we are tasked to provide enjoyable eating experiences and meet palatability expectations for the dinner plate of American lamb consumers. This video is the third in a five-part series emphasizing lamb quality and is funded by the American Lamb Board and Premier One Supplies. A key part of raising sheep that meet yield and quality parameters that produce premium American lamb is determined by when we choose to market our lambs. Lamb should be harvested at compositionally correct endpoints that yield lamb carcasses that are USDA choice or better and USDA yield grade one, two or three. Excessively fat sheep result in decreased production efficiency as well as an increase in tremible fat waste on the fabrication floor. Examples of different breed type, size and body composition are shown in this video to provide a reference to sheep producers. Additionally, the dressing percent from lamb live weight to lamb carcass weight can be attributed to several factors. Animal fill, prevalence of mud, amount of fat and muscle and shorn play a role in retail meat yield percentage. Let's take a look at four lambs raised at North Dakota State University and evaluate similarities and differences that impact yield and quality. Lamb one is a large outlined, growthy and trim appearing lamb with adequate top shape and a white face feedlot lamb appearance. Many maternal breeds of sheep are the backbone of our US U base with progeny represented by this weather. His breed composition tends to being a lighter muscled lamb that when we look at the front and rear views does not appear to be as stout as his contemporaries. In respect to our whole industry, he is average muscled but preferably could be more muscular with improved lower leg and stifle shape to match his size. Still he visually appears to be trim and condition and reach an industry preferred USDA yield grade two designation. Lamb two is the speckle face weather that is average frame size yet shows more boldness and depth of rib and a more natural dimension to his hip and lower leg than lamb number one. The trimness indicators of chest floor, fore rib and loin edge are showing a look of reaching market readiness. Lamb two appears to be near the correct harvest end point as more time on feed will result in decreased feed efficiency and more trimble fat waste. Crossing white face use with a terminal focused ram provides increased growth and muscularity. Overall black face crosslams at this weight and fat condition are currently near average for our US lamb industry and we would expect him to be a yield grade three designation. Lamb three is an extremely stout and powerful U that depending on what view you get of her exhibits extra width in her chest floor and muscle over the thickest top producing preferred rack and loin cuts. Lamb four the big hip sheep also has the most shape to her outer stifle and lower leg in comparison to the others in this video. Unlike the two sheep that precede her the thick made U is more moderately framed. Unfortunately being a U and her maturity pattern being quicker the deeper chested sheep appears to have the most amount of condition. The widest part of her body is now her middle and she is becoming more boat like in shape. She is both the most slender and heaviest condition of the group. We would expect her to have the largest ribeye area but also be classified in or near the USDA yield grade four designation. Lamb four is a very shapely weather that has extra muscle and plenty of rib and body. In relation to size we can agree that the hair breed weather has a greater proportion of muscularity. However because of the lightest weight sheeps breed type her sheep obviously lacks the extra grow and size the three wool sheep have that preceded him. Even though he is visually deep-bodied, trimness indicators show him clean in the chest floor and a youthful shape in the fore rib and hip loin junction. He still maintains adequate trimness but should be appropriately marketed at the lighter weight to maintain USDA yield grade two designation. Thus we would anticipate the white doorper weather to have a smaller carcass that may or may not meet your production goals. Hair sheep influenced lambs have been gaining popularity for our non-traditional or ethnic marketing channels. Research data from the Northern Plains Lamb Value Discovery Project shows that with industry lambs the blackface influence progeny yielded a higher percent of boneless closely trimmed retail cuts when compared to crossbred or whiteface genetics. We know that utilizing more carcass preferred genetics results in increased retail yield of American lamb. In order to harvest lambs at the correct time it is important to understand that larger frame lambs maintain lean muscle growth longer throughout the finishing period. Thus growthier sheep genetics extend efficient weight gain can be taken to heavier weights and maintain acceptable trimness and market flexibility as indicated by the research from Dr. Jeff Held. We can utilize the sire and dam mature U weight graph to set goals for a flock marketing plan and evaluating lamb growth potential in a flock. Once we determine expected target weights and consider frame size consistent among an operation any unnecessary increase in live weight and subsequent carcass weight past optimal size results in decreasing cutability or percent boneless closely trimmed retail cuts. Matching genetic growth potential with timely marketing is a valuable skill in producing premium lamb carcasses that balance both yield and quality. So as the lambs in my background here the Suffolk Grimble across lambs are the better lambs to feed in West Texas in our area mainly because of the conversion cost of gain and the overall performance of the lamb and then at harvest time of the yield that we received back from that animal. Awareness of lamb live animal evaluation criteria can assist that producers are making appropriate management decisions for lamb production that reflects lean meat yield and quality to the highest degree while proudly labeling our product as American lamb. Beginning with the end in mind is the theme for this lamb quality video series. As a progressive sheep producer you hold a vested interest in creating a protein that consistently meets and exceeds consumer expectations of our American lamb product. A huge thank you to North Dakota State University sheep unit and our sponsors the American lamb board and Premier One supplies.