The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Carcass Challenge program is a yearly effort to showcase Iowa’s beef cattle genetics in the only statewide fed-beef competition. The 2021 program completed with an awards banquet held in early June. Steer sponsors donated 74 700-pound steers in November, which were delivered to Lauritsen Cattle Company, in Exira, to be fed out to 1,400 pounds in the 180- to 200-day time period. The top 10 percent of individuals were recognized based on the Retail Value Per Day on Feed (RVDoF), with a top cash prize of $5,000. The RVDoF formula is a dollar value that accounts for hot carcass weight, percent retail product, carcass price and days on feed, balancing the important factors that ultimately drive profitability.

The champion steer for the 2021 ICA Carcass Challenge with an RVDoF of $6.21 was awarded to steer 53, donated by Mosher Angus, Lauritsen Cattle Company and Mark Segebart, and the steer was bred by Mosher Angus.

Pictured (Left to Right): Cathy and Mark Segebart, Norval Mosher, Ty Lauritsen, Clara Lauritsen, Lauren Mosher, Leah Mosher

• Second place, with an RVDoF of $6.15, was awarded to steer 55, donated by Bruce and Peyton River and Cobett Waterers, and bred by Bruce and Peyton River.
• The third-place steer, with an RVDoF of $6.11, was steer 11, donated by Brandon Reynolds, Summit Veterinary Services, Russell Livestock and the Warren County Cattlemen, and bred by Brandon and Beth Reynolds.
• Fourth place, with an RVDoF of $5.92, was given to steer 65, donated by the Spring Valley Ranch – Matt & Cassie Winters, and Farmers Union Coop, and bred by Matt Winters.
• The fifth-place steer, with an RVDoF of $5.91, was steer 46, donated and bred by Lubben White Oak Farms.
• Sixth place, with an RVDoF of $5.90, went to steer 43, donated and bred by Johnson Family Farms.
• Seventh place, with an RVDoF of $5.80, went to steer 44, donated by Larsen Angus and Kennedy Cattle Company, and bred by Dale Larsen.

The award for largest ribeye, with a ribeye area of 16.29 square inches, was steer 43, donated and bred by Johnson Family Farms. The high marbling award winner was steer 4, donated by American State Bank, and bred by Trent Rehder, with a marbling score of 698. The Chef’s Choice award was developed with the goal of identifying the most economically efficient steer and to determine the genetic potential of individual animals to produce the safest, most nutritional and most desirable food product possible. This year’s winner of the Chef’s Choice award was steer 71, donated by the Woodhill Farms, Cherne Angus and Hosch Farms, and bred by Cherne Angus. The highest average daily gain was figured for the time the steers were on test, from November 17, 2020 to May 7, 2021. This year’s winner with an average daily gain of 5.31 pounds per day was steer 24, donated by Custom Precast and bred by Jason Kurt.

The sponsors of the 2021 program included Elanco, Lauritsen Cattle Company, Gregory Feedlots, the CUP Lab, Producers Livestock, Stuart Veterinary Service and Shawn Nicholsen, Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity, Allflex, Rueters Equipment and the Audubon County Cattlemen. The 2022 ICA Carcass Challenge recruitment will begin soon. For more information regarding the program, contact Jennifer Carrico at jennifer@iacattlemen.org.