Held By The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association
In Ames, IA, 15.5 square inches of ribeye was enough to earn the grand prize at this year’s Carcass Challenge, held by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. The challenge featured 46 steers from around the state, raised over a six-month period, with the goal of producing high-quality beef at a moderate cost of production. The challenge culminated on June 11 at the Starlite Convention Center in Ames, Iowa, where those who donated the winning steers were announced. The entry from Accu-Steel took the top Carcass Challenge award of $2,000.
The calculated value for determining the placements of the entries is the retail value per days on feed and calculated the most pounds of high-quality beef in the days allowed. The Accu-Steel steer graded Choice with a Yield Grade of 1. Its Retail Value per Days on Feed was $7.082. The 46 steers in the challenge went from an average delivery weight of 681 to 1,319 pounds during the challenge.
The Carcass Challenge was developed to bring back a statewide carcass contest for cattle producers, with the money raised to fund educational programming.
Plans are underway for the 2014 Carcass Challenge, with registration opening Oct. 1. For more information, visit www.IACattlemen.org.