Steer going for processing this week (pic)

[SRBeef]

The family freezers are about empty of last years beef. I have one carry over steer (last one born in 2010) that was too light last spring to go with the others so I held him over on grass for the summer and put him in the grazing corn with the steers going for processing this April. This steer is probably as finished as he is going to get so taking him in for processing this week.

He was at some hay on the ground just after I moved the ring when opening more corn to the group. I will weigh him as I load him but guess he will be around 1150-1200 lb. The others around him are spring 2011 steers and coming along well.

The one in the center is the carry over steer. He is from one of my 1200 lb cows and very compact and solid. I don't see him putting on much more weight over the next month and a half on corn...?

Would there likely be any benefit to leaving him on corn another month?

Jim

 

[Jogeephus]

I can't see anything that I look for from the picture but if he is finished you'll be mostly laying fat and spending money so I'd do him now rather than later if it were me.

 

[SRBeef]

Thanks, Jo. That is my conclusion too. He is out of a very low backfat bull so doesn't look what I think of as "greasy" fat. But that is what I am looking for. It will be interesting to see how he is marbled after 60 days grazing corn.

Jim

 

[SRBeef]

To follow up - I took the carry-over Hereford steer in the center of the first picture in for processing this morning.

I weighed him in the alley as he loaded on the trailer: 1545 lb and right at 4.1 lb/day since put on grazing corn

This steer is 22 mo old, was the last one born in 2010 and a bit light to process with his classmates in April 2011. This is the heaviest steer I have processed off of grazing corn.

His weight was a pleasant surprise this morning. But a hand on the rump showed him very solid for his size and height. It tells me I can still get good weight out of a 5-5.5 frame calf. He is out of one of my target 1200 lb class cows so "there's hope" as a good friend would say. fwiw.

Jim

 

[Workinonit Farm]

He looks okay to me! Going by the picture, I wouldn't have guessed he weight that much. Sounds like he did well grazing that corn.

When he comes back home let me know. I'll bring a plate and a fork & knife.

Katherine

 

[SRBeef]

Thanks for the kind words, Katherine. I used the wrong reference weight in my ADG calculation - he actually gained about 5.5 lb/day for the 52 days he has been on grazing corn since 1/7/12.

Here is a picture of him after unloading at the processor this morning.

Jim

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Farewell old friend. I feel like I hardly knew you.

:cry2:

 

[SRBeef]

Farewell old friend. I feel like I hardly knew you.

:cry2:

He is #6210, has led the life of Reilly as they used to say, been well cared for and done his job. He will follow the ones ahead of him thru the door and wham. I don't name them. I see steaks in that photo.

Jim

 

[Alan]

Jim, you always post good cattle, would love to know hanging weight on this guy, just because of age.

Alan

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Farewell old friend. I feel like I hardly knew you.

:cry2:

He is #6210, has led the life of Reilly as they used to say, been well cared for and done his job. He will follow the ones ahead of him thru the door and wham. I don't name them. I see steaks in that photo.

Jim

Sounds a lot like my philosophy on dating back in the day.

 

[3waycross]

I'd like to know how he marbled! Not critisizing but he doesn' look to finished to me. But that could be the pictures

 

[Jogeephus]

I couldn't see the finish in the first pictures either but with that thick of hair its not surprising. Lot better photo in the last one. I like his thickness but the thick hair still makes it hard to see what I look for. Need a good closeup of his rear end showing his nads and tail head but I suspect at that weight and thickness he will be a good one.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Nads? He's a steer Jo.

 

[Jogeephus]

Nads? He's a steer Jo.

He should still have a sac area and when the sac area fills up and looks like he has some nads then I say their finished. I use this and the tail head.

 

[SRBeef]

Nads? He's a steer Jo.

He should still have a sac area and when the sac area fills up and looks like he has some nads then I say their finished. I use this and the tail head.

Now that you mention it I do recall he had a sac large enough that if I wasn't there when we cut his class I would have thought we missed one.

That may be an easy to see finish indicator for me in the future. Except by harvesting them at 13 months I may not see that very often.

Thank you.

Jim

 

[3waycross]

Nads? He's a steer Jo.

It's called Cod fat