Department Bulletin No. 1360 
Issued June 1926 
Revised August 1942 
UNITED STATES 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
Market Classes and Grades of Livestock 
By the Agricultural Marketing Administration 1 
CONTENTS 
Introduction 
Livestock market classifications 
Classifying and grading livestock 
Purposes of classifying and grading 
Standards for classes and grades of market 
livestock 
Bases for standards for livestock 
Classifications for purpose or use 
Ages 
Weights 
Grades 
Grade factors 
Market classifications for Cattle 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Cattle 
Market classifications for Calves 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Veal Calve? 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Calves 
Page 
1 
3 
4 
4 
Market classifications for Cattle— Continued. 
Market classes and grades for Feeder and 
Stocker Cattle and Calves 
Market classifications for Swine 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Hogs 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Pigs 
Market classes and grades for Feeder and 
Stocker Swine 
Market classifications for Sheep and Lambs. 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Sheep .. 
Market classes and grades for Slaughter 
Lambs 
Market classes and grades for Feeder Sheep 
and Lambs 
Shearer Sheep and Lambs 
Breeder Ewes 
Page 
16 
26 
JO 
INTRODUCTION 
Marketing livestock according to their merits or relative values has 
been recognized for many years in the United States as a sound 
practice but it has not always been strictly observed. Although 
standards for the market classes and grades for livestock did not exist 
before the turn of the century, there was a voluntary movement among 
the various markets to develop classifications and suitable descriptive 
terms for the classes, groups, and grades of the various kinds of market 
livestock. There was a tendency, however, for each market to develop 
classifications and adopt terms peculiar to itself. Many of the classi- 
fications that were thus developed lacked similarity in many essential 
respects. 
Furthermore, even when identical terms were used at different 
markets to describe selected groups of animals, such terms often did 
not indicate animals with similar characteristics or values. Not only 
did the significance of a term vary among the different markets but also 
among individuals on the same market and often with the same indi- 
vidual on the same market at different seasons of the year. Consid- 
1 Department Bulletin No. 1360 was first prepared by C. E. Gibbons and was issued as a 
contribution from the Bureau of Agricultural Economics in 1928. Mr Gibbons is no 
longer connected with the work, which is now a part of the Agricultural Marketing 
Administration. This completely revised bulletin was prepared by L. B. Burk. marketing 
specialist, and C. V. Whalin. senior marketing specialist. Agricultural Marketing 
Administration. 
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