Released: January 31, 2003

K-State Researcher, Kansas Cattleman Top ‘Best of the Breed’ Contest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – An animal scientist in western Kansas and a cattle producer from Westmoreland, Kan. swept the top two spots at the first-ever ‘Best of the Breed’ contest, which wrapped up Jan. 29 during the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s annual convention and trade show.

The contest was open to Angus producers and feeders in the United States, and recognized winners based on the average beef value per hundredweight (cwt) of a pen of 80 selected steers.

John Brethour, a researcher at the Kansas State University Ag Research Center-Hays whose use of ultrasound to track marbling in live animals has been patented by the university, won the contest and the $100,000 prize that goes along with it.

Brethour’s breakthrough in ultrasound also helped Wickstrum Farms of Westmoreland, which won second place and $50,000. In fact, the top six winners – all from either Kansas or Nebraska – used ultrasound or worked with Brethour to sort cattle for the contest.

The contest, which had several corporate sponsors, paid $244,500 to 26 U.S. producers and feeders. It’s believed to be the largest purse ever for a beef value contest. Contest organizers said approximately 14,000 cattle were evaluated.

Brethour’s winning entry was worth an average $132.05/cwt of carcass. The steers graded 100 percent Choice or better, 91 percent premium choice (which qualifies as Certified Angus Beef, or CAB) and 32 percent prime.

Wickstrum Farm’s entry was worth $131.92/cwt, and 100 percent graded Choice.

"We had no idea our cattle would do this well," said the farm’s owner, Larry Wickstrum. "But when the first sale group went 100 percent Choice with no [yield grade] 4’s, we knew that didn’t happen every day."

"We proved the value of this technology, that we could select these outstanding cattle early," said Brethour, who previously has won major awards using ultrasound technology at the 1999 National Western Stock Show and the 2002 Beef Empire Days, among other contests.

He’s studied ultrasound for nearly 15 years. Among the technology’s advantages is that it provides the ability to gather information on groups of cattle and allows feeders to determine right up to the day that the animal will grade Choice or higher.

"We used to think that to feed high choice cattle, we had to get them over-fat," Brethour said. "We don’t have to do that with ultrasound. We can feed so that we produce cattle with superior carcass."

The advantage to the industry is that sending cattle to market at the best time can bring an average $15 more per head, according to Brethour. The potential impact in Kansas alone is $5 million to $6 million, he added.

For consumers, feeding cattle means beef products they buy at the store may be more lean and taste better.

Ultrasound "allows us to identify these superior cattle early in the process and as a management tool, helps us take advantage of feeding efficiencies."

Currently, says Brethour, approximately 15,000 cattle per month are evaluated using ultrasound around the world. The patent is held by the Kansas State University Research Foundation and its holding company, Cattle Performance Enhancement Company.

For the Best of Breed contest, and based on ultrasound evaluations, Brethour said, the steers were fed a ration of grain sorghum with boosted protein levels from soybean meal. No growth implants were used.

"This has been exciting for me since day one. [Winning the Best of Breed contest] is a major milestone," Brethour said. "To me, the important thing is the satisfaction of having a research program that has brought visibility to the Hays program and to the team of people that have made this happen."

In addition to his research colleagues at the Hays Research Center and other K-State Research and Extension specialists, Brethour credited several Kansas cattle producers, including:

* Dick Janssen, Green Garden Angus, who assisted with sire testing and ultrasound evaluations;

* Roy Soukup, Ellsworth, Kan., and Martin Bland, Luray, Kan., who provided bulls.

Wickstrum credited Fink Angus of Manhattan, Kan., which provided registered bulls for breeding.

"The Kansas Beef Council supported the research that made this possible," Brethour said. "They upgraded our equipment three years ago and asked us to develop technology to go upstream and sort six-weight cattle to outcome groups. This proves that we are able to do that. But I really have to credit the American Angus Association for a program that has been immensely effective in improving carcass quality in their breed."

For more information on this year’s contest, or on how to enter the 2003 contest, interested persons may visit the Websites at http://www.beefquality.biz, or http://cabfeedlots.com.

-30-

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News