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THE 2009 ASA GREAT STATE FEEDOUT |
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This program is intended to help members of the American Shorthorn Association make money through retained ownership of steer progeny. The carcass attributes of the Shorthorn breed are not well documented, but few dispute the value of Shorthorn beef relative to other breeds in the industry. Red-hided feeder cattle have been discounted for years, largely due to black-hided marketing programs and the ignorance of the meat-eating consumer. This program allows Shorthorn breeders to prove the carcass value of their cattle, let the commercial industry know what they have to sell, establish performance and carcass EPDs demanded by the industry, and finally, turn more dollars per head than in the past.
The Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity (TCSCF) is an established feedlot program in Southwest Iowa that helps producers of all sizes benchmark their cattle and make genetic progress through collection and analysis of information. Their number one goal is to help cow-calf producers make money feeding cattle through a unique retained ownership program. Here are the basic features of the TCSCF:
- Cattle are weighed at least four times over the feeding period. This helps establish gains that determine the optimum sort date for harvest.
- Producers pay absolutely no bills during the feeding period. A $20 per head pen reservation fee is required up front, but credited on the close-out.
- Ownership is transferred to TCSCF at $5 per head. This allows the TCSCF Cooperative a lien on the cattle to pay for feed, trucking, vet med, and other inputs.
- Cattle are fed a warm-up ration for 28 days. Steers are then transferred to an 80% concentrate ration ASAP.
- An immunization & parasite treatment program is required by all cattle to prevent pulling calves for illness.
- Producers receive complete carcass and weight data and are encouraged to make decisions for their own cattle.
The American Shorthorn Association and its members can also benefit greatly from this steer feeding program. The opportunity for genetic evaluation and improvement of sires and dams in a real world commercial beef setting is priceless. Here are the features/requirements of The ASA Great State Feedout:
- All steers in the program must be registered by the American Shorthorn Association and weigh at least 500 pounds on the delivery date. Durham Red and ShorthornPlus steers are also eligible.
- Performance Information for calculating Weaning and Yearling Weight will be collected. For WHR members, these weights will be entered in the genetic evaluation free of charge.
- Complete carcass data will be collected ($8/head) and all steers will be sold on a grid marketing system. Premiums and discounts will be reflected in final financial close-outs. Carcass data will also be submitted for genetic evaluation. Embryo Transfer calves can be included in carcass contemporary groups. WHR members will also receive this information free of charge.
- Sire groups will be established and evaluated whenever possible. Again, steers will be marketed to maximize profit per head, not for the benefit of the ASA genetic database.
The ASA Great State Feedout will also be a competition among states. Each state breed association is encouraged to contribute $250 into a jackpot fund, winner take all. The Champion state will be determined by average profit per head. (Only states that contribute will be eligible for prize money.) An established “sliding” feeder calf price will be determined prior to the start of the feedlot trial. The winning state will be announced at the ASA annual meeting during NAILE.
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