AGJA Steer Profitability Challenge

The American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) and American Gelbvieh Foundation (AGF) have partnered to host the Steer Profitability Challenge alongside the Annual AGF Scale & Rail Contest hosted in Kinsley, Kansas at Kinsley Feeders. This event fulfills AGF’s commitment to youth development and fits into the AGJA 2022-2027 Strategic Plan focus areas of education, outreach, outlook, leadership, and involvement by creating new relationships between the existing branches of AGF, AGJA, and AGA and providing new opportunities for AGJA membership within AGA activities.

AGJA members who participate in the AGJA Steer Profitability Challenge will have the opportunity to learn more about the cattle feeding industry, what happens to cattle after they leave a cow-calf operation, and how Gelbvieh-influenced cattle fit into that industry. Participants will deliver cattle to the feedlot to be fed and evaluated next to the AGF Scale & Rail Contest cattle and complete a portfolio outlining their event participation from start to finish. All cattle must align with AGF Scale & Rail contest requirements and will also be eligible for Scale & Rail contest awards. Below is a complete list of details and requirements for all participants.

Rules and Guidelines

  1. Participants must complete an online entry form by December 1, 2024.
  2. Participants must be a current dues-paying member of the AGJA.
  3. Age divisions will follow the AGJA Junior Classic guidelines:
    1. Junior (ages 8-11 as of January 1, 2025)
    2. Intermediate (ages 12-15 as of January 1, 2025)
    3. Senior (ages 16-21 as of January 1, 2025)
  4. Participants must submit a completed portfolio to the AGA Office by September 1, 2025.

Cattle Delivery

  1. Animals will arrive at Kinsley Feeders near Kinsley, KS between December 9-13, 2024.
  2. Participating members will be responsible for transporting animals to a pickup point coordinated by AGF or directly to Kinsley Feeders, Kinsley, KS, by December 13, 2024.

Cattle Requirements

  1. Each participant must submit a group of three steers for the contest.
  2. Steers may be home-raised or purchased by the participant.
  3. All steers must have at least one registered Gelbvieh or Balancer parent.
  4. All steers must weigh a minimum of 750 lbs. with a maximum of 900 lbs. by December 13, 2024.
  5. All steers must be born January 1, 2024, or later.
  6. All steers must be weaned a minimum of 30 days before delivery to the feedyard. It is recommended that steers are closer to a minimum of 45 days weaned before delivery, as the cattle will be more successful in this program.
  7. Participants should only enter lively, healthy cattle that have been relatively treatment-free prior to arriving at the feedyard. This will also allow cattle to be as successful in the program as possible and will help minimize death loss.
  8. The AGJA Steer Profitability Challenge will accept commercial (sire-identified) and/or registered steers.
  9. Steers are required to have a DNA test and must be sire verified. Tissue samples will be taken at Kinsley Feeders for these DNA tests, and cost will be the responsibility of the AGF.
  10. All steers will receive an EID tag upon arrival at the feedyard.

Ownership and Financial Information

  1. Participants will retain full ownership of the steers throughout the contest.
  2. This is a terminal contest – no exceptions.
  3. Participants will be responsible for the cost of feed, yardage, vaccinations, veterinary costs associated with morbidity and loss due to mortality. All costs will be billed to participants directly by the feed yard.
  4. Feeding cattle has risks. Participants may seek individual insurance policies for steers submitted to the AGJA Steer Profitability Challenge if they wish.
  5. The feed yard will deduct any unpaid costs from the sale of the animal to the packer at harvest time from the gross revenue of the sale and the owner will be paid the net balance.

Awards

There will be two top prizes awarded per age division – one for the top-ranking pen of steers* and one for the top-ranking portfolio.** Awards will be provided as follows:

  1. Champion Junior Pen of Steers* – belt buckle sponsored by AGF
  2. Champion Intermediate Pen of Steers* – belt buckle sponsored by AGF
  3. Champion Senior Pen of Steers* – belt buckle sponsored by AGF
  4. Champion Junior Portfolio** – belt buckle sponsored by AGF
  5. Champion Intermediate Portfolio** – belt buckle sponsored by AGF
  6. Champion Senior Portfolio** – belt buckle sponsored by AGF

*For the Champion Pen of Steers awards to be separated by these three age divisions, there must be a minimum of 5 pens of steers submitted in each division. If the minimum is not met, all AGJA Steer Profitability Challenge cattle will be entered into one division.

**Regardless of the presence of different divisions in the steer portion of the contest, all contestants will be separated into three age divisions for the portfolio portion of the contest.

***Junior cattle may be a mix of Gelbvieh and Balancer and do not need to be a sire-group to still be eligible for AGF Scale & Rail contest awards. Adults participants must follow original Scale & Rail rules.

There will also be an opportunity for the top 3 high scoring Senior portfolio participants to earn a $500 scholarship sponsored by the AGF. The participants that submitted the 3 highest scoring portfolios will be invited to participate in an interview process during the 2025 AGA Convention. This interview will be conducted by a qualified panel of experts in the cattle feeding industry to assess the participant’s knowledge gained through the contest. Results of this interview process will be announced during the 2025 AGA Convention Year-End Banquet.

2025 AGJA Steer Profitability Challenge Entry Form (jotform.com)

Please contact Tawnie DeJong, Membership & Junior Activities Coordinator, at tawnie@gelbvieh.org or 303-465-2333 with any questions.