41 Years & Counting

Since 1982, the Sandhills Cattle Association has been hosting this contest! Thank you for choosing to help us continue this tradition and be a part of the contest this year at Fellers & Co. near Wisner, Nebraska. We have a total of 81 calves entered in the contest this year; 67 steers and 14 heifers entered from 24 different owners. We had five owners who have generously donated steers to the Steers for Students program as well (indicated with an * before their quantity entered)! On top of that, a huge thank you goes to Amanda Schluns with FCS of America in O’Neill for donating $515.38 to this year’s contest.

Entries

Business/Ranch Contact City # Entered

Atkinson Livestock, Wes Kilmurry, Atkinson *5

Bestol Masek Ranch, Dave & Brenda Masek, Purdum, 6

Blackford Ranch, Matt & Kristina Blackford, Thedford, 2

Butler Veterinary Clinic, Joe Butler, Valentine, 10

Circle M Ranch, Brock Moreland, Merriman, 6

Feller & Co., Drew Feller, Thedford, 2

Flying D Ranch, Martin & Bree DeNaeyer, Seneca, 5

Hall & Sons Cattle Co., Herb Hall, Thedford, *2

H I Cattle Company, Jennifer Hill, Stapleton, *1

Lackaff Cattle Corporation, Rickard Lackaff, Bassett, *1

Licking Ranch, Wayne & Terri Licking, Thedford, 3

M F Ranch, Denny & Lori Bammerlin, Winter, 6

Milldale Ranch, Shaun Loughery, Stapleton, 6

Mundorf Ranch, Mark Mundorf, Wood Lake, 1

O’Kief Club Calf Ranch, Larry O’Kief, Wood Lake, 1

Schumacher Veterinary Clinic, Stephen Schumacher, Valentine, 3

Spearhead Ranch, Carol Moreland, Merriman, 5

Swanson Ranch, Gary Swanson, Valentine, 3

Valentine Livestock, Greg Arendt, Valentine, 4

Walking X Ranch, Craig & Katie O'Kief, Wood Lake, *4

Zero Hereford Ranch, David & Linda Smedra, Miller, 5

Thank you for all those who participated this year! Your support and dedication to this program, it means the world to us. We look forward to providing a successful and helpful competition.

Beginning Values

On November 22nd, 2022, we traveled to Fellers to gather the beginning weights and establish beginning values. We utilize the Nebraska Weekly Summary from the Nebraska USDA to establish the

beginning values of the calves according to that week’s summary. The contest calls for calves to be entered at a base weight of 600 pounds, so we adjust beginning values using 600 pounds as a base weight. We then determine slides based on the values established in this report.

This year, our heifers were base priced at $192.36 per hundred weights ($/cwt). And steers were based at $215.16 per cwt. The calves averaged a total of $1,262.90 with a price per pound of average of $2.05 per pound.

Beginning Weights

Beginning weights gathered on November 22nd showed heifers averaging 614.57 pounds, steers averaging 656.87 pounds, and the pen averaging 649.19 pounds. The overall average, as well as the heifer average, was up from last year, but the steers were down by just a few pounds. Some could credit the drought to this, but we are tickled pink at the overall starting weights. We will be traveling back to Wisner in March to get mid-weights and to check up on the cattle. I was told that they faired the recent storms well and are doing fine!