Cattlemen from around the country gathered in Louisville, Kentucky over the weekend for the 36th Annual North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE).  The NAILE, one of the largest purebred livestock expos in the world, features breed shows of every stripe, a major junior steer show, and numerous opportunities for breeders and youth participants to gather and share ideas and information.  On assignment for ShorthornToday.com, I sat down with Patrick Wall, Director of Genetic Improvement for the American Shorthorn Association (ASA), to discuss the Association's efforts to gather performance and carcass data on Shorthorn-sired cattle going into the feedlot.

"We sell a lot of cattle at weaning that are discounted because they don't have a black hide," Wall told me.  The ASA Great State Feedout project is an effort to provide cattle buyers and commercial cattlemen with objective data to prove that Shorthorn influenced cattle will perform in the feed yard, and that they will produce high quality, high yielding carcasses at harvest.  With nearly 1,000 head on feed at test locations in Washington, Kansas, Iowa, and Pennsylvania, Wall says the retained ownership program will deliver back to the participants detailed data on how their cattle performed, and how the carcasses were evaluated on the grid.  This data will then guide these breeders in making more informed decisions about how their cattle measure up in terms of beef production.

Long known as a strong maternal breed, Wall and the Shorthorn enthusiasts he represents hope they can help the breed gain a reputation for producing great beef, too.  You can listen to my interview with Patrick here.