WEBSTER COUNTY BEEF WEIGH-IN JANUARY 30 IN BLUE HILL

Exhibitors wanting to show market steers or market heifers at the Webster County Fair, Nebraska State Fair, and/or Ak-Sar-Ben must identify and weigh in their projects. The second and last of two Webster County 4-H/FFA Beef weigh-ins will be held at the Blue Hill Livestock Sale Barn on Sunday, January 30 from 9:30 am till 3:30 pm. What information does an exhibitor need to bring to weigh-in? The Webster County UNL Extension office asks that all exhibitors have their animals identified by that date, if at all possible, and that the affidavits are filled out and signed by all necessary parties prior to, or at weigh-in, as they are not to be taken home for signatures after the beef are weighed. 4-H and FFA exhibitors may download their ownership affidavit from the internet at http://www.webster.unl.edu under the “4-H & Youth” banner, or pick one up from their 4-H leader or our office, and have it ready to go for weigh-in. 4-H tags and market beef affidavits are available from the UNL Extension Office in Red Cloud. FFA tags and affidavits are available from area agriculture education instructors/FFA advisors. For those that cannot get the tags or affidavits prior to the weigh-in, they will be available at the weigh-in site. Each animal must be designated at weigh-in by the class it will be shown at the county fair. For example: PB Breed Association Steer, Bred & Fed Steer, or Bought & Fed Steer. Definitions of those classes have been laid out in Webster County Fair Book and in the Webster County 4-H Newsletters, or simply contact the UNL Extension Office in Red Cloud. The exhibitor will also need to know the place and date of birth of the market beef. This will be used for age and source verification for potential buyers at the county fair. What should an exhibitor’s market steer weigh at weigh-in? The 2011 Webster County Fair dates are July 10-16. Using those dates, exhibitors should match the size of the calf that they pick out to match their intent in planning for a market beef enterprise. If it is the intent to “dead-end” the calf at the county fair then exhibitors should figure from January 30 to July 12 (fair weigh-in date) for time on feed, which computes to 163 days. Figuring that they want the beef to gain at least 2.5 lbs a day (2.2 is required) then assuming a county fair weight of 1300 lbs, then the biggest calf that the exhibitor should weigh in on the January 30 weigh-in date would be 900 pounds. If they figure 3 lb. per day ROG, then an 800 lb steer would be the upper limit weight. As a rule of thumb, good genetics and feeding practices should result in at least 3 pounds per day gain. If the beef is destined for the State Fair with a target of a 1300 pound calf, then they would have 215 days to feed, and at 2.5 #/day then the calf should not weigh much more than 750 on January 30. Incidentally Ak-Sar-ben is 236 days from weigh-in, and with the same goal weight, the exhibitor would then use a 700 lb. calf. The exhibitor should keep in mind his/her goal weight (most common is 1250-1350 pounds), expected average rate of gain, and the environment (both cold and hot) and the growth potential of their calf in making their decision, and then to keep a 2.2 average daily ROG for steers and 2.0 for heifers. The extension office suggests that the exhibitor doesn’t just pick out the biggest calf in the pen, but rather the one that will fits the parameters of their feeding plans. Exhibitors should feel free to bring several animals to weigh in and then decide later.