ADG and finish?

[SKF]

How many of you show at fairs that require a min, rate of gain? A couple of our fairs require that the steers gain at least 2lbs a day or your calf can not show and sell regardless to how much your steer weighs or how much finish your calf has. When I asked about the reason why they had this rule I was told that it was to keep the kids from weigh-in at the first weigh-in a large steer that they will be prospecting with instead they want kids to weigh-in smaller steers and just feed for the fair. They believe that they only way to have a good carcass quality is to have at least 2lbs a day. My problem with this rule is that you can have a good steer who has been gaining well but if they get sick or go off feed then its easy to get off track on your rate of gain but you can still have a calf with a good carcass quality. In 7 yrs at showing at this show only twice have we had a calf not make his 2lbs a day. One weigh-in 40lbs light but they decide to give us shrinkage and let the calf in and he won the carcass contest with a choice carcass he was just a hard calf to get to gain during the heat and then this year our calf weighed 1170 when we left home and weigh-in at 1140 so we did not make our 2lbs a day to make it we had to  be 1172. This calf was gaining great until a little over a month ago and he has been nothing but trouble. The calf has a good cover to him and looked good. When dropped him off at the slaughter house yesterday and they thought he had plenty of cover and will let us know once he is hanging. I don't see how the rule makes sense when they will let in  a large frame steer who weighs a little of 1000lbs with no finish just because he made the 2lbs a day if carcass quality is what they want? Does ADG make a better carcass? What makes a better carcass? Does it have more to do with breed and how they are fed up? Thanks sorry so long!

 

[Cardinal_Crest_Shorthorns]

We live in Kentuky and show at a lot of county fairs. I have never been to a show with a requirement for min. ADG. However our hometown fair does have a contest for ADG but no min. is required.

 

[shortdawg]

We don't have minimum weights for swine or cattle at our county show check-in but we do have a max for swine only and a min for swine and cattle on the show date. We have no daily rate of gain contest anymore. I've never heard of a min rate of gain except in some bull shows or sales. The WDA thing is almost useless IMO b/c it just promotes the changing of birthdates.

 

[dutch pride]

We have a rate of gain contest but no minimum requirement. I cannot remember a case where winning steers ever won the rate of gain contest either.

DLZ

 

[Nasc]

We have a rate of gain champion at our county but not a required daily gain.
Steers weigh in around the end of December for our fair and I think they must weigh at least 450 and there is no maximum limit at weigh in.
At fair I think the steers must weigh at least 800 lbs or they don’t get to sell. Again no maximum limit for the finished steers.

We average around 80 head of fat steers at our county and the competition is such that the ADG takes care of its self. “If you have a stale looking steer you held the entire time you don’t stand much of a chance and likewise if you have pretty showy one that did not perform well at the feed bunk your chances are slim.”

I like our county’s system a lot better then yours. Seems like to me your county’s way would send a lot of cattle home that the rule was not really intended for.

Nasc

 

[debtramm]

SKF,

Maybe it's more of a Florida thing.  Our Fair not only requires a 2.25 pound per day but also requires .25 on back fat.  Deb

 

[SKF]

SKF,

Maybe it's more of a Florida thing.  Our Fair not only requires a 2.25 pound per day but also requires .25 on back fat.  Deb

Wow your fair is even worse!!! I think it is a Florida thing because Fl seems to backwards when it comes to show cattle. I think Florida has some of the worst fairs in the country!!

 

[shortyjock89]

Our county fair has the ADG requirement. 2.1 for British, 2.3 for Continental and X Breds.  It must be easier to get one to gain up here because we were never even close to not making it, in fact we often had steers gain 3lbs/day pretty easily, and one that gained 4+ (but he wasn't a GREAT one).  Our fair is pretty early, but our winners usually gain towards to top end.

 

[SKF]

Our county fair has the ADG requirement. 2.1 for British, 2.3 for Continental and X Breds.  It must be easier to get one to gain up here because we were never even close to not making it, in fact we often had steers gain 3lbs/day pretty easily, and one that gained 4+ (but he wasn't a GREAT one).  Our fair is pretty early, but our winners usually gain towards to top end.

Most of our calves have never had a problem with making it but the ones that we have had that do not tolerate the heat don't gain well. The steer we had this year he just kind of fizzelled out here at the end I don't know what his problem was. This year we're keeping a home grown steer because the Florida born calves always do better during the heat then the northern steers. I still don't see how ADG makes a better carcass because there were some steers at the fair that needed another 100+ before they were anywhere near market ready but they made the 2lbs a day. I think I would rather see the fairs ultrasound them and if they have enough finish they should be allowed in regardless of ADG that way they will have market ready steers to sell.

 

[shortyjock89]

Yeah I can see where northern calves would suck it up down in Florida in that heat.  I think the ADG is just to keep the field of steers a little more "in the box". I know at ours the majority of steers fit in that 1175-1350 range pretty easily, and they dont want 1600 lb monsters or 800lb puds getting in the way. I also think it comes from the days when we had close to 150-200 steers at our fair, and the 4H calves all sold for slaughter (which none of them do now at our show). I would be all for the Ultrasounding thing, but with how hairy these things are, wouldn't they need to be shaved in an area? That probably wouldn't fly up here with some of the crazy jocks haha.

 

[jbw]

A long time ago, my sister had the rate of gain ch., he was also named Grand ch. That steer gained 4.2 lbs/day. He was a Black Power Play.[told you it was a long time ago!!!]

Our county does not have a minimum gain rule, but, they have awards for the top ten rate of gain.

Instead they have a minimum wt. anything under 1000 pounds is considered a feeder steer and is NOT eligible for championship drive.

 

[debtramm]

SKF,

I know that we always attribute their on/off eating to climate changes in that  our winter weather is 70-80 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next.  However, perhaps that is just an assumption on our part.  I'd like to hear what calves do in other parts of the country where the weather is most consistent.  Us like you, have hairy breeds.  We try to keep them as cool as possible without the expense of a "cool room".  I just can't go that far.
I hear your comment about Florida fairs.  We are really pretty fortunate here where I am and have had a very successful county fair for many, many years.  The only thing that I'm not crazy about here is that we cannot prospect steers or it results in a disqualification from the  fair.  Don't ask me  why . . . it's just the rule.  So, when we hit the road, it's only with the girls !  My daughter's county steer is currently at 1315# but w/ 80 degree weather yesterday - he's not much interested in eating.  Looking for a freeze tonight ! Oh boy!  Deb

 

[SWMO]

Up until last year we had the rule of ADG of 2 lbs per day minimum weight of 900 and Maximum weight of 1400 lbs.  We have finally gotten rid of the 2 lbs a day.  Also must not show any signs of permanent teeth.  Have one or two steers every year get kicked for permanent teeth.  Most of our steers don't have a problem making that weight but there seems to be more and more kids Jackpotting and it was making it difficult for them to go to alot of the later jackpots and make that rate of gain. It also seems that there is less performance in some of these really hairy calves coming from up north.  Some due to frame and some due to the weather conditions in SW Missouri in July.  Our county fair is in July and some of them just can't handle the heat without a cool room. 

We have so many rules that it is really difficult to keep up. I'm not sure that we don't have more than our State Fair.

 

[aj]

I agree.