42 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN October 2025 PEERS COMING FULL CIRCLE RETAIL VALUE STEER CHALLENGE MALINA LINDSTROM | NCF VICE PRESIDENT Sometimes life comes full circle. Almost eight years ago, I applied for my first Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) scholarship and had the honor of receiving a Retail Value Steer Challenge (RVSC) scholarship as I was heading into my freshman year of college. A few years later, I was in the heart of my college career – livestock judging, heavily involved on campus and taking every chance I got to be involved in the beef industry – and I was humbled to be selected as the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation (NCF) Beef State Scholar. Fast forward a couple more years, and I am privileged to serve on the NCF Board of Directors. I didn’t grow up in a family that was involved with Nebraska Cattlemen, so my involvement wasn’t started through “blood.” Rather, NC’s investment in me and support of my academic career spurred me to get involved and give back to this organization with my time. As NCF vice president, I get to help facilitate the RVSC and play a role in judiciously investing scholarship money in the next generation of industry leaders. Full circle. Undoubtedly, the most critical part in awarding scholarships is raising the money; that, in large part, is done through the RVSC. This program was started in 1999, but just since 2011, more than 303 students from Nebraska have each received $1,000 RVSC scholarships. The RVSC is a unique opportunity for beef producers, agricultural businesses and allied industries to donate money into a quick-returning investment that will support our youth. Each year, a pen of steers is bought and fed out at Darr Feedlot, Inc., and donors have the chance to “purchase” a steer out of the pen as a contribution. Producers also have the option to physically donate a steer to the contest. When the Steer Challenge was first started, there were just 43 steers fed in the pen. But since 2009, there have been 2,667 steers fed, with 150 head in the pen this past year. By donating or purchasing a steer, you cover the initial investment, and all proceeds of the fat steer, less feed and yardage, go toward scholarships and beef education. In 2025, that was a $640 gain per head from donation to harvest. Talk about a great short-term investment opportunity to raise money for the next generation of beef industry leaders! As part of the contest, donors who purchase a steer are randomly assigned to an individual steer in the pen that will be part of the Steer Challenge. Throughout the feeding period, data is tracked on performance, and carcass data is collected after harvest. By donating and participating in the RVSC, donors have the chance to compete with their steers 1 COLUMN X 3” Black & White Nebraska Cattleman lentine Livestock Auction October 2025 1-800-682-4874 ▪ (402) 376-3611 Valentine Livestock Auction Upcoming Sales: Thurs., Oct. 2 - Special Yearling & Spring Calf Sale Thurs., Oct. 9 - Special Spring Calf Sale Mon., Oct. 13 - Special Yearling Sale Thurs., Oct. 16 - Special Spring Calf Sale Mon., Oct. 20 - Regular Sale Thurs., Oct. 23 - Special Spring Calf Sale Sat., Nov. 15 - Keyes Angus Dispersal Sale www.valentinelivestock.net in the categories of average daily gain, carcass merit and total score. The top three steer “owners” in each of these areas have the chance to win cash awards. By collecting and analyzing steer data, this fundraiser also creates a great educational opportunity. Each animal can be analyzed and broken down from a financial standpoint, carcass merit (ribeye, quality grade, yield grade, marbling), performance and gain. Not only is this a great tool for those producers who physically drop off a steer to learn about their genetics, but also to teach meat animal evaluation by studying the animal live and then seeing how that translates when you analyze their carcass value after harvest. As we get ready to kick off the 2026 Retail Value Steer Challenge, we are seeing unprecedented times in the beef industry. Feeder cattle are setting new record prices each week, and the fat cattle market is remaining at never-seen highs. With this environment, there is no doubt that donating to this year’s RVSC will come with a greater initial investment. But don’t let that scare you from participating! We welcome any donation, whether that’s purchasing a whole steer, a half or just a third of a steer. As a foundation, we are grateful to the many donors who have participated in the RVSC over the past 25 years. You are making an investment in our industry’s future, and we hope you understand the importance of that. Who knows which future RVSC scholarship recipient will have the next chance to come full circle? If you are interested in being a part of the 2026 NCF RVSC, please reach out to Ashley McClinton at amcclinton@ necattlemen.org or (402) 475-2333. We are grateful for your support! ~NC~
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