Well our yearlings have been out in the pasture eating grass for 2.5 months.

They have been gaining weight. Now some of them are heavy enough to sell.  Two weeks ago, we brought them into the corral to sort off the heavier ones.

This is done by a visual assessment. Our goal is for each animal to have reached 950 pounds.

These heavy yearlings are being sold to a finishing feedlot where they will be put on a ration with grain to build up the marbling (fat) in the meat. This intramuscular fat (within the muscle) adds tenderness and flavour to the beef.

The short video below shows a brief look at the sorting process. It becomes rather monotonous after a few hours.

The yearlings are off, riding in a livestock trailer. All-aboard!