Abstract
Objective: Quantitative evidence linking carcass traits to pricing under cooperative beef production systems in tropical regions is still scarce. This study aimed to identify the biological and management determinants of carcass traits and their economic implications in crossbred beef cattle raised under a cooperative system in tropical Thailand.Methods: The carcass and pricing records from 5,531 crossbred finished cattle (3,109 steers and 2,422 females) across six breed groups and 217 farms were examined. Fixed effects in general linear models were farm–year–season (FYS), breed group, sex, and physiological maturity (number of permanent incisors; teeth). Marbling score (MS) and cover fat thickness (COVF) were additionally fitted for pricing traits.Results: Carcass and pricing traits were strongly influenced by FYS, breed group, sex, Teeth, MS, and COVF (p<0.001). Each additional pair of teeth increased live weight (+15.28 kg) and cold carcass weight (+7.93 kg) but reduced price per carcass weight (–0.53 THB/kg). MS was the strongest economic driver; a one-unit increase increased carcass price by 12.34 THB/kg and live value by 5,889 THB/head. COVF had positive but smaller effects. Charolais crossbreds exhibited the highest carcass mass, Wagyu had crossbreds the greatest marbling, and Brahman crossbreds had the highest dressing percentage.Conclusion: Carcass value is driven by two pathways: carcass mass determines total return, and marbling drives price premiums, providing a biologically grounded framework for optimizing breed selection, management, and slaughter strategies in tropical cooperative systems.