The deadline to enter cattle in the 2008 Flint Hills Beef Fest Cattle Contest is rapidly approaching.
Entries for the contest will be on a first-come, firs-serve basis as only 40 pens of steers and 40 pens of heifers will be accepted for this year’s contest. The deadline for entries is April 16.
This is the 22nd year for the Flint Hills Beef Fest, which is headquartered in Emporia. The Beef Fest is a celebration of the Kansas Flint Hills grass cattle industry to promote the kind and quality of cattle that graze the grasslands of Kansas.
Four contests for stocker cattle are conducted in pens of three head, with separate divisions for steers and heifers. The contests are:
- Grass futurity — Measures weight gain on grass.
- Live-stocker show — Quality judging on muscle, confirmation and overall performance on grass.
- Feedlot — Weight gain in the feedlot.
- Carcass — Carcass quality on grade and yield.
Cattle for this year’s contest will be received from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Emporia Livestock Sales. The cattle will be turned out on grass around April 26 and will graze until Aug. 14. The cattle will graze on Highland Ranch near Olpe.
On Aug. 14, the cattle will be gathered and weighed. The winners of the Grass Futurity and Live Stocker Show will be announced during the awards banquet on Aug. 16.
Those entering the Feedlot and Carcass contests will be shipped to a feedlot where they will be fed for 120 days.
For information or to request an entry form, contact Cathy Lieber at (620) 344-3849 or by e-mail at calpat@hotmail.com.