Cattle are worked into a squeeze chute for the image collection. Cattle need to be free of debris such as dirt, feed, manure, dead hair, etc.

Animals must have the areas of interest for ultrasound evaluation of body composition characteristics clipped to ½ inch or less. For cattle that have hair less than ½ inch, clipping is not necessary. We only clip the areas needed for the measurement of the ultrasound image. Also we take the images from the right side of the animal (opposite of the chute working station).

Oil is applied to the areas of interest for proper and optimal penetration of the ultrasound waves. These areas need to be clean.

At least six images are collected and saved using an image capture system. The images collected are one rump fat, one REA, and 4 %IMF.

The entire process takes about 4-5 minutes under normal working conditions. We do ask that you have additional help the day of the scan to help keep the cattle moving in an orderly fashion.

At the end of the scanning session, the images, barn sheets, required paperwork and fees are sent to the CUP Lab for processing. Results are then sent to the breed association and in turn sent back to the breeder. The process takes about 7-10 days.