CAB partners on Kansas Angus feeding project
by Steve Suther
The Kansas Angus Association is working with Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) to better reward members or their customers as they learn more about carcass merit in their herds, or at least five representative spring-born steers. The 2011 Carcass Data Project (CDP) $5-per-head enrollment deadline of Dec. 15 allows participants couple of weeks for Dec. 28-30 delivery to the CAB-licensed McPherson County Feeders, near Marquette, Kan.
Steers must be sired by a registered Angus bull or bulls and carry individual identification such as ear tags. They must be weaned at least 45 days, backed by an approved vaccination program. CAB is sponsoring up to a $750 cash award, and brand merchandise including a jacket to the owner of the top CDP group of three.
“We applaud the Kansas Angus Association for a continuing effort to discover genetic carcass value in their members’ and customers’ herds,” says CAB assistant vice president Mark McCully. “This project serves as a great model for any group across the United States that wants to set up a similar program, and we at CAB invite partnership inquiries.”
McPherson County Feeders will mail bills twice a month for feed and yardage in the Kansas CDP. For more information or an entry form contact KAA secretary/manager Anne Lampe at kansasangus@wbsnet.org, 620-872-3915 or visit www.kansasangus.org.
Feeding Better Cattle Better
Not everyone is cut out to be a cattle feeder. It’s an art and a science that comes with a need to overcome risk. Wayne Carpenter fed his first pen of steers in 1980 and lost money. But he stuck with it. Today with their sons’ families, he and wife Leisha run the 15,000-head-capacity Carpenter Cattle Company.
You, Your Cows and Their Feed
Expert guidance from Dusty Abney at Cargill Animal Nutrition shares essential strategies for optimizing cattle nutrition during droughts, leading to healthier herds and increased profitability in challenging conditions.
Marketing Feeder Cattle: Begin with the End in Mind
Understanding what constitutes value takes an understanding of beef quality and yield thresholds that result in premiums and/or discounts. Generally, packers look for cattle that will garner a high quality grade and have excellent red meat yield, but realistically very few do both exceptionally well.