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Carcass steer contest gives youth real-world experienceThe carcass contest at the National Junior Angus Show provides a contest outside of the show ring and offers real-world experience. This year 36 participants loaded up 47 steers at the 2008 NJAS, July 13 to 19 in Des Moines, Iowa, to see how the animals perform from a carcass perspective. Ethan McCabe, Elk City, Kan., owned the grand champion carcass steer, sired by Mytty In Focus. The steer had a live weight of 1,080 pounds and a carcass weight of 677 pounds that resulted in a dressing percentage of 62.69. The steer had a ribeye area of 13.5 square inches, a yield grade of 1.9 and graded average Choice. The steer qualified for the Certified Angus Beef program. "I like to see how my cattle grade compared to other breeders," says McCabe who raised the champion carcass steer. Throughout the nine years of participation in the contest he has learned that a breeder cannot rely on appearance alone to determine performance of a market steer once out of the pasture or feedlots. "Sometimes the best looking animal can be the poorest grading." McCabe said he plans to use the premium money he earned to help pay for college. Hannah McCabe, Elk City, Kan., entered the reserve champion carcass steer. Sired by Schurrtop MC 2500, the steer had a live weight of 1,085 pounds, a carcass weight of 693 pounds and a dressing percentage of 63.87. The steer posted a ribeye area of 13.7 square inches and a yield grade of 2.02. It also qualified for the CAB program and had a quality grade of average Choice. Juniors from Kansas claimed grand champion state carcass group. Mycah McColm, Baxter Springs, and Samuel Rucker, Burdett, owned the animals in the winning group. Glen Mommsen, De Witt, Iowa; and Kyle Musfeldt, Coon Rapids, Iowa, owned the reserve champion state carcass group from Iowa. The carcass steer contest was established in 1985 as an educational effort to increase awareness to junior Angus members of the important role Angus cattle have in the beef industry. Cash prizes are supported by the Briarwood Angus Farm-Curtis and Ann Long Endowment Fund. Cash prizes are given to the top 10 entries and $50 awards are given to all other qualifying entries. This year 24 carcasses met CAB standards and received an additional 25 percent in premiums. 8/11/08 Date: 8/7/08 Advertisement
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