"Best of the Breed" National Carcass Challenge

Got value? Prove it and win big money! Cattlemen say they will produce high quality, consistent beef when they're paid for doing so. The time has arrived. With nearly a quarter of a million dollars in prize money at stake, the "Best of the Breed" national Angus carcass challenge will reward superior carcass genetics, says contest director Calvin Gunter.

Corporate sponsors are Agri Beef Co., Allflex USA, Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), Farmland National Beef and Merial SUREHEALTH(TM). Winners will be determined by highest beef value on a Farmland National Beef (FNB) special contest grid.

"Cattle will be raised in a quality-controlled, process-verified system," he adds. Calf and yearling steers must be fed in either CAB licensed feedlots or other "Best of the Breed" approved Beef Quality Assurance(BQA) yards, and processed at the FNB plant in Liberal, Kan.

If your cattle meet live-animal criteria for CAB eligibility (USDA schedule GLA), they can be enrolled, Gunter explains.. The top three lots in the nation will win cash prizes of $100,000 for first, $50,000 for second and $25,000 for third. Then the three winners from each of the seven regions will be awarded $5,000 for first, $2,500 for second and $1,000 for third.

The contest was unveiled with a $100,000 grand prize at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's summer conference. Following that, Richard Jenkins, associate director, cow/calf marketing, Merial, announced that Merial will add another $100,000 to the grand prize if the winning lot is Merial SUREHEALTH(TM) certified.

"Merial is offering this added incentive to help cattle producers learn about the positive effects these veterinarian-monitored protocols can have on beef quality and profits," says Jenkins.

FNB's Wagner says enrolled cattle can be sold on the "Best of the Breed" grid or by any other method to Farmland National Beef, but contest winners are determined by placing official USDA slaughter data on a fixed-value contest grid. That ensures uniformity across time and contestants, he says. Winners will have the highest figure when gross dollars from the contest grid are divided by total pounds produced in the enrolled pen.

The "Best of the Breed" pricing grid features a negotiated base price with variables for hot carcass yield and Yield Grade components derived from plant averages, Wagner notes. With a Prime premium of $14/cwt., CAB premium of $5.50/cwt., and Farmland Angus Beef premium of $4/cwt., the "BoB" grid stands out as one of the most rewarding quality grids in the industry.

"With the requirement that seventy five percent or more of the enrolled steers meet CAB phenotypic specs, this is clearly a contest for Angus and Angus-cross cattle," Gunter says, "but it isn't just for seedstock producers." The $4/head entry fee must be paid prior to placement on feed in a CAB or other approved feedlot, and the minimum lot size is 80 head. "Producers may combine ownership to achieve that lot size, and there is no limit to the number of entries," Gunter adds.

Gunter points out there are several benefits to producers besides the prospect of prize money. "Industry recognition can be a huge factor in the long-term value of your cattle," he says. "You get access to a superior marketing grid where the actual market pays you for high quality, and you get individual carcass data feedback in an EID system while participating in the first national carcass challenge."

"We'll start taking enrollments the first of September, so the first cattle will go on feed this fall," Gunter says. Slaughter data will be accepted until Dec. 31, 2002, and the first "Best of the Breed" winners will be announced at the annual NCBA conference in January 2003. A continuing contest would include cattle harvested by July 1 each year, with winners announced at summer industry events.

Producers can monitor results in "real time," Gunter says, by pointing Web browsers to www.bestofthebreed.com, or call 1-866-BoB-1160 for information.