Sunday, July 06, 2008

by Wayne Fritzinger

Tri-County Carcass Futurity may have been founded before 1982, had the organizers been aware of how their data would change the industry.

TCSCF has been collecting cattle performance and carcass data for cow-calf producers and feedlot operators since 1982 to help them realize higher profits.

"This is our main goal," said Darrell Busby, Iowa State University Extension Beef Specialist.
ISU Extension staff provides oversight for the Futurity program.

"In the last five years TCSCF has evaluated and processed 50,000 head of cattle from 15 states," Busby said.

"The idea for TCSCF began when the Pottawattamie Cattleman's Association had a carcass contest and in the process of evaluating the carcass realized the need for such a service," said Busby.

"The TCSCF organization began in 1982 when they received 106 steers from 35 Iowa consigners. Cattle in 1982 came from Pottawattamie, Cass, and Shelby County," Busby said.

"TCSCF operates today as a service cooperative," explained Busby.

"Its members live in southwest Iowa and are represented by a 10-member board of directors. Board members direct the futurity program.

"We now receive cattle from approximately 15 states and have 10 feedlots in southwest Iowa," said Busby.
TCSCF works with producers of all sizes. In addition, the futurity works with 4H and FFA members in collecting carcass data for over 1,300 head of cattle. Whether the producer wants to feed a half dozen or several hundred cattle, the futurity makes it work.

When finding the finances to feed cattle is a concern, the TCSCF offers a program where producers receive $300 equity in the calves when they arrive at the feedlot.

The added money helps producers cover loans associated with retained ownership in the feedlot.
"For the past 13 months we have been marketing age verified cattle for export to Japan," Busby said. "All the data we collect must be verifiable."

"It is as though the cattle have a passport," said Busby.

TCSCF works in cooperation with the Tyson Company in Denison. Tyson employees processes the cattle and the TCSCF evaluation team, Deb Scott (Data coordinator), Kari Bloom and Mike Welch, collect data.

Busby, the ISU Extension Beef Specialist, assists the TCSCF team in data collection and also in genetic evaluations, marketing, and sorting.

"Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity contributes to the economy in southwest Iowa as well," said Busby.
"Last year 9,000 head of cattle were a part of the futurity and $5.5 million was spent. Money spent on feedlot cattle will roll through a community three times meaning that it has as economic impact of $15 million."

TCSCF is establishing a reputation in Iowa in many ways by helping cattle producers with higher profits and higher product quality.

It is establishing a reputation by providing ones like Dr. Larry Berger of the University of Illinois (located at Urbana-Champaign) with valuable research data.

Carcass data collected
- Recording hot carcass weight data
- Rib eye meat by square inch and fat cover in tenths of inches.
- % Pelvic kidney and heart fat
- Estimates for retail product
- Marbling scores
- Quality grades: Prime, Choice, Select, and Standard. Most supermarkets use Choice or Select grades. Better restaurants use Prime grade meats
- Tenderness data has been collected in the past

Feedlot data
- Weight gain
- Body condition score
- Disposition score
- Weight per day of age
- Genetic evaluation of sire