Steer Pool: Providing an Real World Livestock Experience
4-H and Youth Programming
Garth Ruff
Beef Cattle Field Specialist
The Ohio State University
Caldwell
Abstract
For over 60 years the Hartford Independent Fair Steer Pool program has provided a way for youth to become involved in beef production. Unlike a “traditional” market steer project in Ohio, cattle productivity, beef quality, and real-world economics are the focus of this program. Each fall, students select a steer sourced from a group of commercially raised Angus based cattle. From selection day through the fair in August, students have a series of benchmarks to complete and farm visits to ensure proper records are being kept and that the cattle are on track to be harvested. During this time, educational meetings are conducted on topics such as calf selection and nutrition and feeding fundamentals. Students compete in record book, live evaluation, rate of gain, and carcass value competitions. Each student sells their steer based on market value of the carcass at the time of evaluation. The grid system pricing provides students with the opportunity to observe the effects of selection, nutrition, and care on the final carcass value of their project. Since 2017, 83% of the steers in the competition have graded Choice, and 10% have graded Prime with an average Yield Grade of 3.39. Carcass evaluation of Jr. Fair livestock projects in Ohio is fairly common, as nearly half of the county fairs in the state have some form of carcass merit contest. However, from an education standpoint the design of the Steer Pool program allows for a more in depth understanding of the beef industry from live animal evaluation to nutrition and feeding, all the way through a basic understanding of meat quality and factors that determine carcass value. Using the Steer Pool as a model, other county programs could capitalize on a long standing approach to improve the youth project learning experience.
Authors: Garth Ruff, Dean Kreager
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Garth Ruff Beef Cattle Field Specialist, Ohio State University, Ohio, 43724
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Dean Kreager Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator, Ohio State University, Ohio, 43055