The present invention is directed to methods and systems for improving the efficiency of livestock production using genetic information obtained from the animal. The methods of the invention comprise obtaining a genetic sample from an animal or embryo, determining the genotype of the animal or embryo with respect to specific quality traits, grouping animals with like genotypes, and optionally, further sub-grouping animals based on like phenotypes. The invention is further directed to a method of predicting the carcass quality of an animal by correlating the rate of change in carcass traits with the genotype of the animal.