Texas steer shows ----wonder how they work or do they.

OH Breeder, I understand everyone does things just a bit different.  The only time tension comes into it is when some people decide that since they do something one way or define something one way, that's how it must be everywhere else.  I just want to stress that the Yankees telling Texans what to do comment wasn't directed at you.  It was in reply to the comment that a solution needs to be found.

First thing - if he's a really good true Angus, someone ought to take a shot with him down here.  It's a matter of pick your poison - do you want to run the gauntlet in the sift and then have a much easier time of it in class or do you want to show against 60-90 head in your class.  If the calf has a good smooth, round-topped head, he'll have a shot to make it through.  Most steer jocks down here don't fool with Angus much, but I really don't understand why.  Get him clipped, get a good photo, and get it to someone like Tusa, Copus, or Bobby Maddox.  If he's good, someone will get him down here.

It's pretty amazing to me that our Angus steer classes are the smallest (except for Red Angus or sometimes some of the Brahman breeds) in all of our majors when there are far more Angus cattle in general than any other.  I've always been surprised the Angus Assoc. doesn't raise high holy **** about it.  Our sifts commonly kick out 1/3 to half of the calves that try to run Angus.  That would be fine if it "worked", but as I and many other fully know, your just as likely to get a real Angus kicked out as you are a cross. The sifters get way too overzealous.

Crosses that look like Angus are still the calves that win.  Just a small sample I have first hand knowledge about - The Champion Angus we raised at Houston in 05 probably wasn't quite half-blood.  Last year's Champion Angus at Fort Worth showed up in advertisements as being out of Ali.  This year's Reserve Angus at Fort Worth was a Who Made Who.  We've sold around 20 hd in the past 8 years or so that made major sales in Angus classes - none were 100%.  I've sold two true Angus calves that I know got showed at Houston - both got sifted.  On the other hand (knock on wood), I haven't had a "Texas Angus" sifted since 03 Fort Worth.  Same calf got in at Houston and placed 3rd. 

You've kind of got to have an eye for what will get in and what won't.  It's all about the head.  Head shape and ear size is what gets you sifted more often than not.  And the hair has to be perfectly staight (no kink at all).  It's not about being "too good" and its not about the butt.  You can get a big-butted calf in if he looks right everywhere else. 

The only way to make something different work is to do it pre-validation (end of June).  A lot of kids do get crushed at Fort Worth when they don't even get to show.  The only possible answer is parental DNA verification, but it would be expensive. 

Steer sifts down here get real political - much more so than shows themselves.  Herefords/Polled Herefords are by far the worst with Shorthorns a close second.  Angus isn't that political, the sifters just overthink it.

I just got back from watching the steer sift in San Antonio.  They threw 10 of the 30 or so lightweights to the AOB class.  Five of the first eight through the evaluators were AOB'd.  Unfortunately for the steers we had a part in, they weren't nearly as tough on the middleweights.

I'm not typically one to disagree with Chambero but yes, the butt will get you kicked.  And yes, being too good will get you AOB'd.  More specifically, an overly thick topline will get you kicked pretty quickly.  There were some very Angus looking heads that are going to show on Friday.  Thick shoulders seemed to be the downfall of most of the steers that weren't allowed in but just as soon as you think you have it figured out, the next one will prove you wrong.

Another thing, the "trick" of holding the head down on a chi influenced steer just plain old doesn't work.  It sticks out like sore thumb and makes the kid look like he's trying too hard to fool the classifiers.