Powered by BioZyme Inc.’s Feed the Future program, the National Junior Hereford Association’s (NJHA’s) Fed Steer Shootout is an industry-leading opportunity for NJHA members to gain invaluable education and real-world cattle feeding experience. Contestants collect feed yard performance and carcass data during the contest and are given the opportunity to gain a broad knowledge of the cattle feeding and packing industries through a comprehensive educational component of the contest.

This year’s contest started out with almost a 60 percent increase in numbers from the previous year with more than 200 Hereford and Hereford-influenced steers on feed. Like many places across the nation, Gregory Feedlots Inc., Tabor, Iowa, experienced some challenging conditions over the winter, receiving more than 50 inches of snow in January alone. However, due to the hardiness that accompanies the Hereford breed, the shootout steers have continued to gain well and the first group will be headed to be harvested in the next month.

This year, the NJHA and BioZyme Inc., have teamed up to incorporate more educational components into the program. In addition to a monthly health report delivered to participants to update them on their steers, a series of videos and quizzes has also been deployed to educate the youth participating in the program. There will be a total of seven quizzes when the contest is completed.

This week participants are also receiving their performance portfolio, a dynamic workbook for them to fill out about their projects. Junior members have until September 1 to fill out the performance portfolio and submit it back to the NJHA. From there, the portfolios will be judged and the top five will be given and scholarship and invited to the 2019 American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting and Conference to compete for the NJHA Fed Steer Shootout Junior of the Year awards.

Competitors will be required to present a 3-5-minute speech outlining what they have learned throughout the contest how it relates to the industry. The speech will be followed by an interview with a panel of judges regarding the contents of the participant’s performance portfolio and speech. The NJHA Fed Steer Shootout Junior of the Year will then be selected from those top 5 based on the performance portfolio, speech and interview scoring, as well as educational quiz completion and scoring. This winner will be recognized during the AHA’s Honorees Reception October 25, 2019.

The NJHA Fed Steer Shootout is managed in part by the NJHA and Certified Hereford Beef® and is funded through the Hereford Youth Foundation of America and in particular the research foundation. This contest would not be possible without our premier partner, BioZyme Inc., as well as other contest sponsors including: Gregory Feedlots, Inc., GeneSeek, Allflex, UltraInsights Processing Lab Inc., Zoetis and Endovac Animal Sciences.

For more information please visit hereford.org/youth.