Meat & marketing
Current situation
Marketing system
Sheep & goat marketing web site
US auction prices
Northeast auction prices
Marketing options
Ethnic holidays
New Holland Monday prices |
Quality grading
- Maturity (break joint or spool joint)
- Flank streaking (fat in muscle between the ribs)
About 3/4 of the lamb carcasses are in the United States are quality graded. The proportion is much lower in the Northeast because lamb carcasses are much smaller. Of those that are quality graded, < 10% are prime while 90% are choice. Flank streaking equates with marbling in beef where we know that the effect on tenderness, juiciness, and flavor is close to zero. Lambs produce very tender meat and it is questionable whether, beyond being classified as lamb or mutton, there needs to be any quality grading done.
Yield grading
Based upon fat thickness only. Unlike the beef yield grade system, that includes factors unrelated or not required to predict lean meat yield (rib eye area; weight; percentage kidney, pelvic and heart fat), the lamb yield grade considers the only factor of importance, outside fat thickness between the 12th and 13th ribs:
| Fat thickness, inches |
Yield grade |
| 0 to 0.15 |
1 |
| 0.16 to 0.25 |
2 |
| 0.26 to 0.35 |
3 |
| 0.36 to 0.45 |
4 |
| >0.46 |
5 |
Market information
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