WEBSTER COUNTY BEEF WEIGH-IN BLUE HILL SALE BARN JANUARY 27

     The Webster County 4-H and FFA beef exhibitors who have yet to weigh-in potential market beef for the Webster County Fair or perhaps for Nebraska State Fair and/or Ak-Sar-Ben will have the opportunity to do so at the Blue Hill Livestock Sale Barn on Sunday, January 27 from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm. Exhibitors from other counties are welcome to weigh-in with permission from their county extension office or FFA advisor.     Webster County had conducted an “early weigh-in” for market beef on December 9 for those that already had identified beef or perhaps are looking towards progress show competition, so this will be the final weigh-in event. 

     The 2013 Webster County Fair this year will take place July 20-27 with the county fair weigh-in on Tuesday, July 23. An exhibitor should plan for finding a beef that will fit within certain parameters. In planning for market beef enterprise, exhibitors should try to match the size of the calf that they pick out to match their intent.  If it is the intent to “dead-end” the calf at the county fair then exhibitors should figure from January 27 to July 23 for time on feed, which computes to 177 days.  Figuring that an exhibitor would want their calf to gain at least 2.5 lbs a day (2.2 is required) and then assuming a county fair weight of 1300 lbs, the biggest calf that and exhibitor should weigh in on the January 27 weigh-in would be 850 pounds. If you figure 3 lb. per day ROG, then a 775 lb steer would be the limit weight.  

     If the exhibitor plans to take their market beef on to the Nebraska State Fair and for it to weigh around 1300 pounds, then they have 216 days to feed and at 2.5 #/day then the calf should not weigh much more than 750 on January 27.  Incidentally Ak-Sar-Ben is 243 days from weigh-in and with the same goal weight the exhibitor should probably consider using a 700 lb. calf.

      The exhibitor should keep in mind his/her goal weight (most common is 1250-1350 pounds for steers), 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 exhibitor should not just pick out the biggest calf in the pen, but the one that will best fit their situation.  Exhibitors should feel free to bring several calves to weigh-in and then decide later.