Heifer Feeding Contest draws 56 entries to Mcendaffer Feedlot
Fifty-six young heifers have found a temporary new home in Pen No. 22 at Mcendaffer Feedlot near Merino.
The cattle are entries in the Logan County Cattlewomen’s Heifer Feeding Contest. The contest is being held in conjunction with the Washington County Cattlewomen’s Association.
Britt Pratt, president of the Logan County group, said entries started trickling in around 10 a.m. Saturday and by that evening all 56 entries were in.
The contest involves participants entering weaned heifers to be held in a separate pen and fed identical rations for between 180 and 220 days. Winners will be determined by daily rate of gain and carcass value.
During the contest, the two organizations will hold a buyer’s banquet and Calcutta at a date yet to be determined. Calcutta participants will bid on individual heifers, depending on the animals’ performance at that point. Payouts will be determined by rate of gain and carcass value at the end of the contest.
At the conclusion of the contest, the cattle will be processed by Cargill’s beef plant in Fort Morgan, and the assessment of Cargill staff will be used to determine carcass value. There will be cash payouts, buckles and the all-important bragging rights.
Niki Wernsman, LCCS vice president, said the rules are modeled after the Yuma County Cattlemen’s Association’s annual feeding contest.
The contest will help raise funds for the cattlewomen to award scholarships — Logan County Cattlewomen awarded $4,000 in scholarships earlier this year — and to raise awareness of the beef industry in northeast Colorado.