How big is to big

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smo

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Jun 6, 2011
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What is the industry standard market weight? If u could take a county fair steer to a show at any weight what would it be
 

GoWyo

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Packers want them 1400-1500, but the show judges are having a hard time with that.
 

Tallcool1

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GoWyo said:
Packers want them 1400-1500, but the show judges are having a hard time with that.

Yes they are.

The thing that I find funny is that anyone with a legitimate shot at winning is shrinking and filling to get to that 1330-1340 weight range.  So you stick a hose down one and put 25 pounds on, or you starve one half to death for 5 days.  Every terminal show in the country NEEDS to stop weighing these steers in.  We all read about inhumane treatment of animals, blowing them up, introducing foreign substances, putting a zipper in a throat, blah blah blah...you have all read the show ring ethics and rules.  In reality, the most inhumane thing that can possibly be done is right under the show officials noses, and they not only allow it...they endorse and encourage it!  They all need to go to a weight card, and give a 5% weigh back allowance.  At least that way a calf can be shown with 10 pounds of shrink or fill rather than shrinking 100 pounds, filled back 90, and then shrunk back 10.  It is hard on them, and there is no reason for it.

Now, some people will say "what about the rate of gain"?  Well, your minimum rate of gain number is calculated from what you turn in on your weight card.  If you have an actual rate of gain contest, then the people that want to participate must actually cross the scale.  The cattle that are winning in the show ring are not the same cattle that are winning the rate of gain anyway.

I am going to write a long letter to our State Fair officials and see if I can get through to anyone.

Or better yet, maybe it is time that the show judges lean into the industry a little bit...maybe meet in the middle.  Maybe the judges should be giving a legitimate look to the 1360 pounders?  They are the same steers with way less stress put on them.

 

ploughshare

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May 30, 2008
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GoWyo said:
Packers want them 1400-1500, but the show judges are having a hard time with that.

Packers are market driven.  With record high ground beef, low numbers, and lower corn prices feed lots feeding longer and packers are willing to bid on the larger animals to meet their demand.  For me, I like a 1250, but the 13 weights are reasonable.
 

cowpoke

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Aug 31, 2008
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The show ring seems to be in the 1300/1350# range.Packers have no problem with cattle over 1700#.The 1000  # carcass is no longer the problem it used to be.With corn in the $3.50 range and replacements at an all time high feed costs with yardage are around $ .90 it encourages feeders to keep feeding them.The weight needs to fit the frame and smaller framed cattle are more popular in the showring and not in the feed lot.As cattle get bigger they are less efficient but due to the lower numbers on feed beef has good demand.I judged a fair where an animal gained over 5# was considered  too big[1750#] for most and He topped the market at the fat cattle auction that week as the fair did not have an auction.There are many different buyers of quality beef and some want different weights.When there is more supply things will change.I am glad to see the beef feeders,hog  producers and dairy people get rewarded for their hard work.The cow calf producers will also have one of their best years.
 

Tallcool1

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rackranch said:
Won our county last year with a turned in weight of 1390lbs.  Show in Texas, judge from OSU...

County Fairs seem to have a different standard.

Our County Fair was won by a 1250 pound steer, and Reserve was about 10 pounds heavier.

 

Davidsonranch

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Dec 2, 2011
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SE Oregon
This was a hot topic at our fair this year.  Historically the 1350-1400 pounders always win.  But this year a 1285 won grand and my son's 1250 won reserve.  My daughter had a Purebred Simmy that weighed in at 1550 and per ultrasound had a 17.46 in rib eye.  The judge dinged her for being too big (which we knew but it took that much weight to finish him) but he also said that her steer was probably what the processing plant wanted this year. 
 

hamburgman

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I have known one case where a 1500+ pound steer won the show.  I give the judge credit for having the guts to do that because like I said I know of one case. 

My biggest squawk with this whole thing is the market heifer class.  It seems like the market heifer show is filled with a bunch of sound/unsound puds who were bought as breeding heifers but ran out of gas and are a yield 3.5-5 weighing 1180.  Those girls need to be dinged hard I feel.

Choosing a 1250 steer who isn't finished I can live with, but hearing a judge say the heavy division (over 1400) are just to big really makes we want to ask the judge after the show how he can say that with a straight face.
 

KSanburg

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May 5, 2010
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Western Colorado
Tallcool1 said:
GoWyo said:
Packers want them 1400-1500, but the show judges are having a hard time with that.

The thing that I find funny is that anyone with a legitimate shot at winning is shrinking and filling to get to that 1330-1340 weight range.  So you stick a hose down one and put 25 pounds on, or you starve one half to death for 5 days.  Every terminal show in the country NEEDS to stop weighing these steers in.  We all read about inhumane treatment of animals, blowing them up, introducing foreign substances, putting a zipper in a throat, blah blah blah...you have all read the show ring ethics and rules.  In reality, the most inhumane thing that can possibly be done is right under the show officials noses, and they not only allow it...they endorse and encourage it!  They all need to go to a weight card, and give a 5% weigh back allowance.  At least that way a calf can be shown with 10 pounds of shrink or fill rather than shrinking 100 pounds, filled back 90, and then shrunk back 10.  It is hard on them, and there is no reason for it.

My county was sick and tired of the shrink game people were playing, all it took was a girl shrinking off and holding to long and her steer almost died to wake the fair board up to the fact that there was a real problem. So starting last year we started weighing in 24 hour before the show which has put an end to the shrink. Admittedly you can still pull them some but because you are on your third day at the fair and showing the next day it really puts a limit to what people can do. I'm not saying it is a perfect but it has made a difference in our show.
 

GoWyo

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Wyoming
Watched it twice this year -- judges said the 1400# steer was "the freest moving, thickest muscled steer in the drive, but he's just too big for me."

Have seen other judges compliment the 1400# steer and say that it doesn't matter how big they are, a good one is a good one, then talk themselves into the 1330# steer that has a nice profile, but hobbles around half crippled saying that "he moves good enough."

Sometimes a big good one will win, but there is a definite prejudice against that extra 50-75 lbs. that makes no sense to me.
 

vc

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The judge is looking for his Ideal type, if we went by what the packers wanted, the show would not be very pretty, no more zipper fronted, whale a$$ed, huge hipped, big boned cattle. Some of the best feeding steers Ive had were short necked, heavy brisketed things that just burned through the feed and put on the pounds, don't mind eating them just don't thing I want to see a ring full of them either.

What has the ideal weight been over the years, in the late 70's early 80's what was it, I know I had the heaviest steer at our county fair 3 years running, 1207, 1203, and 1207, and we weighed them full, now they would be considered small.

As far as the packers it was not long ago I remember some one saying that the calves where getting to big, the steaks were getting so large they had to cut them thinner to keep them in the rite weight range for the average consumer, the thinner stakes were coming out tougher because it cooked to fast.

As trends come and go has the 1300 range seemed to stay in the middle, maybe that is why the judges stick to that range?
 
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