Judge underestimated my steer...

[katie_k]

the judge at my county fair didnt give my steer a second look in the ring, said he was too light and missing to many parts and pices to be raised higher in the class for overall market.  He went into the overall by defult because he was the only one in his class.  The judge then proceded to lives rank him fifth out of six only beating an underfed dairy steer.  I am honored to say that we did place secind in showmanship though.  When we got to the carcass judging i recieved grand champion beef carcass.  He was choice and his loin was 12.2 and he weighed 1067 live.  The rest on his numbers were all very impressive.  it just makes me wonder how a judge can miss by that much.  It didnt help that he was the only red steer out there in a sea of solid blacks.  Any thoughts?

 

[nkotb]

I would guess the sea of blacks had nothing to do with it.  Looking at him, I would agree with the judge saying he is too light.  Most of the finished cattle will fall somewhere between 1250-1350 lbs.  If I were to guess, I wouldn't have thought an unfinished steer would hang the best carcass.  It is also hard for the judge to see marbling or anything like that under the hide.

 

[SlickTxMaine]

He looks light, an extra 200+ lbs would have made a world of difference on him.  Don't get discouraged.  Take what you learned and get ready for the next one!

 

[Ms Ray]

he looks small framed my sons steer was that way last year he weighed 1125 and graded choice+

 

[rackranch]

Smaller, lighter framed cattle will fatten up sooner and better that most larger framed cattle.  Sounds like your steer was the best light weight steer in the show.  Congrats on a fine job (clapping)

 

[katie_k]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.  It really helps   This year i am raising two larger steers.  They are shorthorn simmi crosses.  Since they are larger framed i am worried about not having them finish in time.  We feed a more traditional diet or corn molasses and oats supplmented with minerals and hay.  The farmer i work with encourages me to "practice practical beef" which i really enjoy so when im not showing i am still able to work in the market and know how to economically feed average steers.  We wean them tomarrow and i start breaking them friday!!!!

 

[mark tenenbaum]

From the picture he looks alot thicker than some of the others-you just need to feed more fat (corn etc) and gradually work them up to more pounds per day:  if you are going to show O0

 

[Pleasant Grove Farms]

some years ago, we played the carcass shows pretty hard; it is almost always without exception
impossible for a judge to pick out which steer will hang the best carcass because it is impossible
for a judge to estimate marbling of the meat which dictates quality grade.  a judge tried to do
this by going by backfat and assuming if the animal is fat on the outside he will also have put
fat inside the muscle but that is not necessarily so.
what will win a carcass show is an animal that doesn't look like it will grade choice because it
has little outer fat....but it has laid fat into the muscle to  make that choice quality grade....this
is impossible to tell by visual appraisal.  The other thing the animal needs is little fat cover because
the less backfat he carries and the lighter weight he is, the higher his yield grade will be.
the best carcass we ever produced was a choice grade, zero backfat and big ribeye on a smaller
carcass...that was a freak; no one could have ever visually saw that coming......
the yield grade was off the grid....way below a 1.0

 

[leanbeef]

I would also have to agree...your calf was too light weight to be competitive. I'm curious what criteria was used to place the carcass show if a calf that light was named the winner. The most valuable carcass is usually heavier since we sell them by the pound, even on the rail. A heavier weight steer has just as good a chance to grade choice with an optimum yield grade, and that steer will produce more pounds of saleable product.

Congratulations on the showmanship win! And good luck with the next batch. The calf in my avatar is a Simmie x Angus x Shorthorn cross, so I hope your calves look a little bit like him! He was a good one...

Take what you learn and keep trying to move forward. And just a tip...Please don't blame the fact that your calf is red for him not placing higher. That gets so tired, and as a judge, it just seems lame. If you think only black cattle win, then show black cattle, but I'll guarantee if a red calf is good enough--or a blue calf or a yellow calf or a white calf or a striped or speckled calf--he can win. No credible judge is going to say, "I only pick black ones because I prefer black cattle."

 

[katie_k]

i didnt mean the comment about my steer being red to seem like i thought that was the reason he didnt win.  we talked to the judge and his family said that he prefered a larger heavier breed.  he likes fat and black.  i wouldnt make excuses for why i didnt do better, i understand why we didnt.  im just saying as a youth judge myself i do see why he would have a draw towards the black animals. thats all i really meant.  no offense or immaturity intended

 

[vc]

Just out of curiosity are the cattle behind you in the second photo breeding cattle, they look red as well. Or do your fair only go by wait. Your steer has allot of bone but does not appear to have enough product at this time, as stated earlier, 200 pounds would have helped him, he also appears to lack the volume a finished steer should have.

I have seen lighter calves win, 1200 pounds, but they were finished and looked the part, your calf just needed a little more in the time and volume in my opinion.

The black calf in the chute in your second photo, (left hand side of the photo) how did he do

 

[Glorifying Pastures]

My son's steer was light and it was red (Hereford), he placed fifth in his class, judge said if he had an additional 150-200 lbs. he would have been push second and knocking on the first place door. His steer only weight in at 1079. A charlay won his class. The judge has an augus farm. That same animal won my sons class won the grand champion. Good luck to you on your next one.

 

[katie_k]

those pictures were from a show i did the weekend before my fair.  i dont know how any of those animals really did being that they werent in my class.

 

[leanbeef]

My son's steer was light and it was red (Hereford), he placed fifth in his class, judge said if he had an additional 150-200 lbs. he would have been push second and knocking on the first place door. His steer only weight in at 1079. A charlay won his class. The judge has an augus farm. That same animal won my sons class won the grand champion. Good luck to you on your next one.

Hey, just FYI...it's Charolais. It's French. ;-)

 

[DLD]

Shorthorn Girl, congratulations on your win in the carcass contest.  You mentioned your "more traditional and practical feed program" - obviously it worked well in getting your steer to hang a good carcass, and please understand I'm not knocking that at all - especially right now, anything that can save on the feed bill and still get them there is great.  But with that said, probably part of the reason the judge didn't place him higher on hoof was that he didn't have that softer, fuller "show steer look",  at least part of which comes along with the bulkier feeds that most show steers get.  As I said, I'm not criticizing what you're doing, just saying that in the future if that softer look is lacking, you might want to consider some hulls or beet pulp or something like that to get a fuller look.  Yes, I know from a pure economic standpoint it has no return on the rail, but it certainly could have in the show ring.

 

[CAB]

No one has mentioned the obvious yet IMO & that is that genetics play a huge part into whether or not a calf will grade. Is your calf SH cross or how is he bred?

 

[katie_k]

he is purebred shorthorn.  sired by Gauge

 

[mark tenenbaum]

Glad to see a couple people chime in on whats a known fact-Shorthorns and Short Crosses grade. O0