
Cloud-based software program Black Box Co is collaborating with the Northern Beef Producers Expo to track the results of their new Class 8: Pen of Feedlot Steers competition.
A total of 70 head of previously entered grass-fed steers have commenced a 100-day grain challenge at Laurel Hills Feedlot in Clermont.
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Black Box Co is a cloud-based software program that links data captured along the beef supply chain to create insights to help producers make the best decisions about which cattle to breed or feed through data analytics and machine learning.
NBPE commercial cattle steward and judge Bill Holzwart said it was a new class added to the competition this year.
"They were initially judged as a pen of feeder steers on grass and have now made their way down to Laurel Hills Feedlot where they will do 100-days on grain," he said.
"We take a point scoring system on daily weight again, grain performance, and then carcase credentials after that timeframe.
"All this information goes through Black Box Co recordings to help us determine the winner and also give the vendors some really valuable feedback about what their steers have done."

Mr Holzwart said the steers entered included a mix of crossbred and Brahman cattle.
"We can really compare them to each other and see how they perform in a really good competition," he said.
"Depending on how far back each vendor's information goes, whether it be from if they've got some wearner weights on their steers, right through to the end, they can find out all sorts of information through some really good reporting and traceability as well."
Black Box Co northern accounts manager Sam Fryer said the data collection process would be demonstrated through the new competition.
"Five different producers have put mobs in, which we are going to be analysing the data of how the steers are performing in the feedlot, their carcase credentials and then giving that information back to the vendors," he said.
Mr Fryer said Black Box Co aimed to provide animal data from infancy through to slaughter across different operations.
"We take data collected by producers from crush side, whether that is fertility data or growing data, which includes weights, dates of birth, foetal ageing or lactation status," he said.
"There are a range of different data points that people are collecting and we also get feedback from feedlots and meatworks.
"We clean it and put it up into our interactive dashboards that producers can get a bit of an insight into their herd.
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"It is information right along the supply chain and it's all interconnected; so they can follow that animal through the fertility stage to when it gets killed."
Mr Holzwart said the initial feeder steer winners were based on a point scoring system.
"The ones who didn't get a ribbon aren't out of the race yet; there's still a good chance to catch up with the same amount of points allocated halfway through the challenge for daily weight gain," he said.
"That is the beauty of this class, anything can happen once they go onto feed. It's a whole new ballgame.
"It will be really exciting to see how this challenge goes."

Zoe Thomas
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.