Round 'em up for ND Angus University
Cowabunga!
We aren’t full of bull, but make no mi-steak, we are looking for Angus steers for the twelfth annual North Dakota Angus University Feed-Out. Ruminate on this -- don’t moove on without stalling to read our rare offer.
Have we milked these jokes far enough? It’s not often we have to steer clear of cowtraversy like this! We’re not being poll-itical. We could go on for heifer and heifer…We’re simply trying to catch your attention with adorabull puns, and we’re milking it for all it’s worth. Do you find it all udderly hilarious, or do you want to hide? Remember: to err is human, to forgive bovine.
You’ll calf to put up with a few moooore…we’re trying to be very a-moo-zing.
Steeriously, though. We have a lot at steak...
North Dakota Angus University Feed-out begins in June
Colin Tobin, Animal Scientist at the Carrington REC, leads the ND Angus University feed-out program. While the animals are on feed, the crew at the CREC typically conducts research with the animals, and this year’s project will focus on identifying heat stress in the steers. At the CREC we have both cement surface and dirt surface lots. Using accelerometer ear tags and temperature loggers we hope to identify the respiration rate differences due to the surface type. If you have spent any time in a big city in July you probably notice that it’s hot even during the evening. Some steers will wear accelerometer ear tags to help quantify the severity, duration, and changes in behavior due to heat stress for the different surface types. This data will provide valuable information to feeding operations across the state and region.
There is still room in this year’s program. Steers consigned to the ND Angus University should be at least 50 percent Angus genetics and weigh between 800 and 900 pounds at the time of delivery to the CREC research feedlot during the week of June 5-9, 2023. Consigners of the program must also be North Dakota Angus Association members.
Consignors will receive periodic progress reports on their calves’ performance, as well as a final report on the overall performance, efficiency, and carcass traits for their calves. In addition, steers will be genetically tested using Neogen Igenity and results will be reported to consigners. The NDAA offers $1,500 in prizes to the top three carcasses at the end of the feed-out, with prizes sponsored by Neogen, Western Ag Reporter, and LaMoure Feed and Seed.
Contact Colin Tobin at Colin.Tobin@ndsu.edu or 701-652-2951 for more information or to consign your steers for this year’s North Dakota Angus University.
Disclaimer: these terribull puns are the creation of this week’s author only, and she has no reasonabull de-fence. No one dairy’d her to write this, and she has no beef with any of our Livestock Research Crew. She actually thinks it was well done, and may never loin to be seen but not herd.
Puns penned by Linda Schuster
Linda.Schuster@ndsu.edu
Administrative Assistant
