This is an attempt to explain how and why cattle get graded into specific pens. First, the computer program will only accept a four digit code maximum. So, when we use the code “black” or “white”, we have to abbreviate it to blk or whte. But it is still just a code. Yes, anything with a blk code is always black in color, but not all the black calves go to that pen. Only the good ones with black angus traits go there. The goal for every pen is to put cattle together that will grow together on the same ration. For example, a black calf that has a lot of Simmental traits will go to a different pen. It will need a different ration than the angus calf. Also, shorter 20th century type black calves go to a completely different pen as well. They need a completely different ration too. Now, we have three different pens, but that is not all. What about long, tall, narrow black calves? They are not going to grow with any of the other three groups. So, they go to their own pen. We call it the lean pen. Now, we have at least four pens with different shaped black cattle in them. The same goes for tan colored calves, whites, red or whatever.
The big feedlots may feed four hundred head to a pen. When that pen is finished or fat they ship the whole pen together to the plant. That way they can close that pen out and figure their profit or loss. Now, seldom does every animal in the pen yield 65% and grade AAA. But that is the goal – to have them all grade consistent. The best chance of having that happen is to have all the calves consistent and precise when they go into that pen. It is pretty easy to get the weights consistent here, because we weigh them individually. The pen parameters are set for uniform groups. That is easy, but the grader has to know what code to call them to have them all grow consistently. Short pot belly 20th century cattle will not grow with tall lean cattle on the same ration, for example. They all have to go to the appropriate pens. We go by body shape and hair. Maybe they have the same herd sires. My brother is tall and slim. Same genetics. We grew up eating the same ration but didn’t grow together. I was an easy keeper.
Speaking of that, the British pens. We used to code that class of cattle s/f for short and/or fleshy. Then came the internet. Most other markets were coding them British. We got tired of explaining what s/f stood for and relented. We code them brit now too. They are shorter in length. They are more big bellied cattle, of any color or breed. It doesn’t mean that their parents came from England. Could be France, Germany or other countries. 20th century cattle would be a better code. The grading system has changed in the past 20 years and these little easy keeping cattle do not fit the new grading system as well as they did in 1975 when Grandpa was winning shows with them. Sometimes someone will bring in over full cattle with big bellies. If they have a big belly when I see them, they go to the big bellied pen. What else can I do? Sometimes we will hear a customer say “My cattle didn’t even bring the average price”. That is usually because he is still raising 20Th century cattle. If he wants to catch up he will need to change his breeding program.
Breeding cattle is not an exact science. They do not all turn out the way we want. However, they have to be fed with others that will grow the same on the same ration.
