Ultra sound Back fat

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simmi11

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Jun 26, 2010
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3
Our county use ultrsound backfat readings to cull steers from getting in the fair. Our rules are at least .25 backf at, weigh over 950 pounds, and gain at least 2 pounds a day for 150 days. Is this common at other county fairs.
 

kfacres

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Dec 15, 2008
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Industry, IL Ph #: 618-322-2582
simmi11 said:
Our county use ultrsound backfat readings to cull steers from getting in the fair. Our rules are at least .25 backf at, weigh over 950 pounds, and gain at least 2 pounds a day for 150 days. Is this common at other county fairs.
min weight- yes... the others no--- atleast not around here.
 

iowabeef

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Aug 24, 2009
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Iowa
In Iowa, a lot of county fairs use the same minimum rate of gain requirements that the state fair does....2.5 lbs for steers and 2.2 lbs for market heifers.  I haven't heard of any that do anything else with ultrasounds.....but I could be wrong. 
 

leanbeef

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Jan 7, 2012
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944
Location
Tennessee
Our junior show does have a minimum weight to make the sale, and I wish they had decided to use more of this technology to cull steers that weren't ready for a finished show before they decided NOT to have a sale this year. We just found out they've canceled the steer sale at our state steer show, which is a terminal show. It's been a long time coming, and all the while heading in that direction, it's just frustrating. I don't have steers (thank goodness) and I hope I wouldn't be relying on state extension staff to get them sold if I did, but I'm disappointed about some of the decisions that get made.

The requirements may seem strict to some people, but they may also be the difference between a successful junior beef program in your area and the deterioration of these types of opportunities for kids who want to show.
 

knabe

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Feb 7, 2007
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13,639
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Hollister, CA
I've fed out a few steers over the last few years and had them butchered by the same butcher who do the fair steers for a few shows.

I gotta say, more than 50% of the carcasses had hardly any backfat at all and we're completely devoid of marbling.

Only the winner was a good carcass.  He stood out like a sore thumb in the ring.

Something has to be going on.

Customers buying them cant be happy and only do so to support the programs.  The key to would be to attract someone besides the choir.

That to me is a symptom of an industry in trouble.  These kids are an outlet to our industry. We (me) are failing them, at least in my area.
 

Mueller Show Cattle

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Oct 26, 2010
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Location
Glenrock, Wyoming
We have a 1,000lb min weight at our local and state fair. We do not have a min daily weight gain that we have to meet even though there is an award for that. Our steers are ultrasounded for the marbling and back fat percentage also. Usually the clubby steers do not do well in the ultrasound but do well in the ring and the opposite for the kids that show the range steers as they do well in the ultrasound but not so well in the ring. Even though a Walks Alone steer we sold to a girl that was shown 2 years ago to took reserve grand champion and also took 2nd in the ultrasound results and had the highest daily weight gain in the barn which got an award also. But that steer was 2 months behind most of the other calves as he was born late as his dam did not take from the previous 2 AI attempts, so he was born late and had to be pushed hard and made a finished weight of 1,183lbs being pushed all the way to show day.
 

Aussie

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Jun 27, 2010
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Tasmania Australia
simmi11 said:
Our county use ultrsound backfat readings to cull steers from getting in the fair. Our rules are at least .25 backf at, weigh over 950 pounds, and gain at least 2 pounds a day for 150 days. Is this common at other county fairs.
Sounds a good idea to shift the focus to sound beef production and to get kids to think about what is under the hide and what makes a profitable commercial steer. Must be a good thing IMO  (thumbsup)
 

TimiyaAlexa

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Aug 23, 2011
Messages
70
our terminal show steers have to be 950 for the 4h show and after the steers are sold and killed the carcasses are judged. in order to qualify for that your steer must have an average daily weight gain of 2 pounds a day their entire lives. The steers can still be shown they just wont get judged on the rail. They have started ultrasounding the market lambs at this same show.. so it wont be long before the steers are ultrasounded as well!
 
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