Carcass Contest Deadline Nears
Angus carcass competition deadline is Sept. 7.
Online entry is open until Sept. 7 for the Angus Value Discovery Contest (AVDC). The nationwide contest highlights commercial Angus producers aiming for the high-quality beef target. The AVDC is especially meant for those who use best practices, retain some ownership of calves and receive carcass data.
It’s easier than ever to enter. Kara Lee, production brand manager for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), says producers can self-nominate this year.
“The biggest difference is that last year we required all entries to be nominated by their seedstock provider, which could have been an Angus breeder or AI (artificial insemination) company,” she says. “They’ll still be asked to designate one, because a portion of the prize money is in the form of credit toward a purchase from their seedstock provider.”
Despite that change, Lee still asks registered breeders and companies to enter their customers.
“You likely know which of them are buying the right kind of bulls and semen to compete, and those who are following their calves through from a data perspective,” she says.
To qualify, an eligible group must consist of 30 head or more, 70% sired by Angus bulls with a harvest date spanning more than a year, between Aug. 1 last year and Aug. 30, 2018. Groups will rank based on grade, yield, premiums and discounts noted in the packer summary.
“As we know Certified Angus Beef® brand acceptance rates continue to increase across the industry, rates that used to be considered really outstanding today may be average,” Lee says. “We want to continue to push commercial producers striving for excellence to outpace that average and get better to earn more premiums.”
She says the contest design works to recognize producer effort, and any U.S. commercial producer with cattle meeting the requirements may enter the contest.
“We know a lot of carcass contests are done on a local level,” she says. “We certainly encourage the pursuit of carcass quality no matter where you are or what you’re measuring against. However, this allows producers to compete on a national level.”
First prize wins $2,000 credit toward a future purchase from their designated seedstock provider, and second prize similarly receives $1,000 credit. Three-fourths of the prize money comes from CAB, with the rest from their genetics provider.
Editor’s Note: Sarah Moyer is the producer communications intern for CAB.