heifer toplines?

[Dvrom]

Do you clip heifers toplines the same as steers? do you wat to make them as wide as possible?

 

[leanbeef]

Generally speaking, yes. These are all beef animals, and the most expensive cuts come from the loin, or the top. And whether or not you plan to hang an animal on the rail, the judge will stand behind the animal & evaluate the width and shape of the top to determine muscling.

That said, I've seen a lot of different techniques and ideas for clipping tops, presumably because people have different ideas about how to exaggerate whatever real width & shape is actually there. The top will look wider if the hair down the top is clipped short, with longer hair combed upward on the sides to give a square-shaped "corner" along the loin edge. Personally, I like cattle to look neat but still natural...I don't like to see hair peeled off anywhere except the face. I try to blend every area into the next to get a natural look, and the areas you peel I find are harder to blend. Just a little hair also covers bumps & flaws & helps add smoothness.

Don't get too hung up on how to clip all heifers or all steers. Instead, really study every animal as an individual, and try to enhance an animal's strong points & minimize the flaws by tailoring your clip job to the individual.

Good luck!