KANSAS CITY, Mo. —  “I didn’t get to see this side of the industry growing up, so it’s an amazing opportunity for me and others like me get to see what their animals are actually doing when they send them off to the feedlot and then when they get processed,” says Jorja Ebert, Polo, Mo., a first-time participant in the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) Fed Steer Shootout field day. “Being part of a livestock judging team, I’ve learned a lot about animals’ phenotype and their genotype. So, I’m very interested in the genetics that help cattle not only produce in a cow-calf operation, but throughout the other sectors.”

Feeding out their Hereford and Hereford-influenced cattle to discover how they perform beyond the pasture is the reason the American Hereford Association (AHA) established the Hereford Feedout Program and why the NJHA established the Fed Steer Shootout. Both programs enable participants to feed a minimum number of cattle at HRC Feed Yards LLC, in Scott City, Kan. Participants receive cattle feeding performance updates throughout the cattle feeding period and individual carcass data after the cattle are harvested. Participants also receive a collective summary of all cattle enrolled in the program to see how their cattle performed relative to the entire group.

Combined, 129 seedstock producers, NJHA members and commercial cattlemen from 24 states enrolled 1,341 Hereford and Hereford-influenced steers and heifers in the programs this year.

“By learning their herd’s genetic potential and understanding what performance traits cattle feeders and beef packers find the most valuable, producers can build a more effective marketing plan to make sounder marketing decisions year after year,” explains Trey Befort AHA director of commercial programs. “The value of this information and being closely engaged with the cattle feeding sector has always been important. It is becoming invaluable as more cattle are channeled into specification-based, value-added areas of the supply chain.”

An annual field day at HRC Feed Yards compounds the educational and networking opportunity when participants can see their cattle at the last stage of the feeding period and learn from professionals about the cattle feeding and beef packing sectors.

“We believe in the program. We believe in the education and that more people should know about this,” says Lee Mayo, HRC Feed Yards general manager. “Everyone involved in the beef industry has a role in feeding the world. If we can teach breeders and have them take ownership and responsibility for the end product, I am really excited to see the progress of the Hereford breed over the next 50 years.”

More than 140 attended the field day this year, April 11-12. Educational sessions included: the value of feed efficiency in the pasture and the feedlot; the economic power of a shorter calving season; how stress impacts carcass performance; meat cut identification and fabrication; feedstuff identification and how nutritionists build feedlot rations; how beef marketing grids work; and evaluating live animals for carcass performance.

Joe Schohr, Gridley, Calif., participated in the Fed Steer Shootout and the field day for the first time this year. He is well acquainted with Hereford, showing and judging cattle, but this was a rare opportunity for in-depth learning to cattle feeding and carcass performance.

“At the end of the day, we’re walking meat animals into the showring. We’re not just producing show cattle, we’re producing beef,” Schohr says. “That’s something really big that I’ve taken away from this experience. Having the NJHA offer the chance to see this different facet of the industry has given me a new insight into careers in the meat packing and nutrition industry, as well as just getting to see the commercial side of the industry that I’m not necessarily exposed to on a daily basis.”

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The American Hereford Association, with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the largest U.S. beef breed associations. The not-for-profit organization along with its subsidiaries — Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC, Hereford Publications Inc. (HPI) and American Beef Records Association (ABRA) — provides programs and services for its members and their customers, while promoting the Hereford breed and supporting education, youth and research. For press releases and photos, visit Hereford.org/media.