Friday, January 21, 2011

The business end of agriculture

It's all rather confusing

Do cattlemen realize how confusing a cattle show may seem to anyone that walks up to a showring or the stall? I am sure some of my readers have been quite confused by a number of videos and photos I have posted. If anything I hope you can sense from the videos how exciting it is to be out there in the showring and be selected as winner of the whole show (Grand Champion). I posted a little bit about why we show cattle here.

During the National Western Stock Show the Boy's cousin came down the day of the Bull show to watch his family show. Now he has been to a cattle show before, and for a "city" kid knows quite a bit, but his comments during the show still cracked me up.


aka - Why are they taking pictures of the their butts and not their heads?

The butt or hip as a cattlemen might refer to it by is the business end. The end that makes the cattlemen money. In the hip we find the most valuable cuts of mean - like the loin, roasts, t-bones and ribeye. The front of the animal contains a lot more bone and less valuable meat, that is usually ground up in hamburger. 

Clik on this cutting cuts of beef chat to enlarge. Thanks to Loney Lane Farms for an image. 

You can get these cutting card from the American Angus Association

Have you been been to cattle a cattle show, and do you have questions? Let me know! 

4 comments:

  1. Great idea for a blog, Crystal! A few of my law school friends have come with me when I've been working the steer show at the State Fair, and have come watch our lambs show and always have great questions!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Crystal, this is great explanation! Growing up with a cow/calf operation I have been to cattle shows but I am a majority of the world has no idea what is going on! Thanks for educating. One of my grandpa's proudest was when his heifer won grand champion in Denver!
    Katie
    http://pinkepost.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have to say, I'm obsessed with your blog. I check it every day. Showing cattle has always been fun for as, but it never meant more to me than when our son started showing cattle. The serious look on his face, the smile when he walks out and gets complimented on job well done. And that fact that we take a calf and make it as tame as one of our dogs. I LOVE this lifestyle and raingin my children in it and couldn't imagina another way.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post!! Iam always trying to explain show cattle to my "city" friends and try to do so in an easy-to-understand kind of way...it can be difficult! As for your comment on my blog...'The Real Farmwives' is a group of blogging, mainly Indiana, women that are involved in Agriculture in some way. We use our blogs to spread the word about all aspects of Ag. And why we do what we do!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear from all my readers. Hope you have a fabulous day.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...