Denver – Excellence in commercial cattle and the cattle feeding industry is highly commendable in today’s marketing atmosphere. The Grid Master Award is earned by firms that have successfully combined superior Red Angus genetics, feeding management skills and precise marketing to achieve success with the slaughter of a superior beef carcass. Harold Bertz, Red Angus Association of America commercial marketing programs coordinator, announced the recipients of the 2017 Grid Master Awards at the 64th annual National Red Angus Convention held Sept. 15, 2017.
This year 1,304 head of cattle, from 21 loads, qualified for the Grid Master Award. “Grid Master Award winners exemplify the high-quality and performance that has come to be expected of Red Angus cattle today in the marketplace. These cattle are a testament to the success of implementing Red Angus genetics in a commercial cattle operation.”
To be named a Grid Master, entries must be Red Angus or Red Angus-influenced cattle enrolled in the RAAA’s Feeder Calf Certification Program (FCCP) or Allied Access tag program, and must achieve a specified level of carcass excellence. The program is open to both conventionally and naturally fed cattle.
Conventionally fed Red Angus cattle must be marketed in lots of at least 30 head, reach a minimum of 85 percent Choice and Prime, have a maximum of 5 percent Yield Grade 4s and a minimum grid score of 100.
Naturally fed Red Angus cattle must also be marketed in lots of at least 30 head, achieve 90 percent Choice and Prime, with a maximum of 10 percent Yield Grade 4s and a minimum grid score of 100.
Firms receiving Grid Master honors include the following:
Conventionally Fed Division
- Anderson Land and Cattle, Oberlin, Kansas, home fed.
- DeLong Ranches, Inc., Winnemucca, Nevada, fed at Whitham Farms Feedyard, Leoti, Kansas.
- Dusty Trail Ranch, Oberlin, Kansas, fed at Anderson Land and Cattle, Oberlin, Kansas.
- Hayes Red Angus, Jetmore, Kansas, fed at Boothill Feeders, Jetmore, Kansas.
- Hueftle Cattle Co., Cozad, Nebraska, earned Grid Master honors on six loads, home fed.
- Letrud Farms, Inc., Madison, Minnesota, home fed.
- Pelton Red Angus, Burdett, Kansas, fed at Anderson Land and Cattle, Oberlin, Kansas.
- Phillips Ranch, Selden, Kansas, fed at Stephens Farms, Inc., Menlo, Kansas.
- Prairie Dog Creek Cattle, Dresden, Kansas, earned Grid Master honors on two loads, home fed.
- JYJ Red Angus, Columbia, Alabama, fed at Cattleman’s Choice Feedyard, Gage, Oklahoma.
Naturally Fed Division
- Christensen Brothers, Weldona, Colorado, earned Grid Master honors on two loads, home fed.
- Otley Brothers, Inc., Diamond, Oregon, earned Grid Master honors on two loads, fed at Beef Northwest Feeders, Boardman, Oregon.
- Spreutels Red Angus, Koshkonong, Missouri, home fed.
For those who would like additional information on the Grid Master Award program, or to learn more about the Red Angus-specific marketing grids and the FCCP program, please contact Harold Bertz at harold@redangus.org or call (816) 661-2289.
The Red Angus Association of America serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the competitive advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. The RAAA provides commercial producers with the most objectively described cattle in the industry by seeking and implementing new technologies based on sound, scientific principles that measure traits of economic importance. For more information, visit www.RedAngus.org.
