Fire Sweep Ranch
Well-known member
We are known in this part of the state as being a predominate cow/calf area. Most people around her run commercial cows and a bull or two, and wean right on the trailer, never knowing how their calves perform compared to their contemporaries. Our extension agent is trying to get cattle owners to think a little differently about marketing calves, so they tried something new a few years ago. They encouraged breeders to put together 5 steers to send to a feedlot and do a field study on the gains and carcass values, so the breeders can see just how their calves are performing at the other end. Each year, it has grown. Last year, they invited the public to see the calves before they headed to Iowa to be fed out, and invited the public back to evaluate the data collected after the steers were harvested. The last three years (since its inception), I have attended the finale only because it was at the same time as our cattlemens' meeting. I decided this year I wanted to learn a little about it. Once again the public was invited to come and learn, so I took a few people with me and headed to Joplin Stockyards where the steers were all sent to start the process. The evening started with a free rib eye steak, baked beans, potato salad, cookies and tea. Then we all sat in the room and watched as each group of steers, 9 in total, were brought in and evaluated by 3 "professionals". The first was the USDA inspector, who gave us the grade on each group of calves, telling us about frame score and muscle score. Then he put a value on the group (high was $1.69 and lowest was $1.54). The next two guys were custom order buyers, and told the public what they looked at when they had a few seconds to evaluate a group of calves and what they would pay. Here is what surprised me; they look for cattle that are gaunt, and thin! They explained that they have more room to make money on that type of cattle, because they are not paying $1.69 for fill or water. They do not want skinny cattle, just green and empty. We almost NEVER send calves to the sale barn, our numbers are just too small and we take a major hit for having one or two head of steers. So this was very foreign to me, because when ever I have taken a steer or heifer to the sale, I made sure they were fat and happy thinking that is what the buyer was looking for! Shocker for me.
Of the nine groups, three were groups of steers from AI sires, all of which were the most uniform and best quality. The funny thing is, they did not tell you what the blend of the group was genetically until AFTER each professional talked about the group, then the extension agent told the public who owned that group of steers, the average weight of the group (with the range from high to low), the genetic make up of the group, and whether they were AI sired or not. The end point they tried to drive home was the consistency of the AI groups, and the tight windows in age of those groups. For those wondering, the calves ranged from the high 400 pound range to a few in the low 700 pound range. The age ranged from early Feb to late March. For me, I thought the calves were light for their age compared to our cattle at home, but most of the steers were mixed (except two groups were registered angus steers) and ours are purebred.
Anyway, I learned that it is not a good thing to take a calf to the sale full of feed, and fleshy. That is the opposite of what they guys said they were looking for. I am looking forward to June when we reconvene, have another rib eye dinner, and look over the data results. :nod:
Of the nine groups, three were groups of steers from AI sires, all of which were the most uniform and best quality. The funny thing is, they did not tell you what the blend of the group was genetically until AFTER each professional talked about the group, then the extension agent told the public who owned that group of steers, the average weight of the group (with the range from high to low), the genetic make up of the group, and whether they were AI sired or not. The end point they tried to drive home was the consistency of the AI groups, and the tight windows in age of those groups. For those wondering, the calves ranged from the high 400 pound range to a few in the low 700 pound range. The age ranged from early Feb to late March. For me, I thought the calves were light for their age compared to our cattle at home, but most of the steers were mixed (except two groups were registered angus steers) and ours are purebred.
Anyway, I learned that it is not a good thing to take a calf to the sale full of feed, and fleshy. That is the opposite of what they guys said they were looking for. I am looking forward to June when we reconvene, have another rib eye dinner, and look over the data results. :nod:
