We would like to fatten a steer for our freezer but have a limited area to do so. Any suggestions?

• Locate a custom processor who will kill, cut and age the beef properly. A processor who does a lousy job can ruin even the best carcass.
• Locate a reasonable cost source of supply of fattening feed. If you have a feed mill in your area they can likely grind up square baled hay while adding supplements for a fattening ration. This will likely include a higher percentage of ground corn and molasses than normal. Make sure they include minerals and salt. (You can also supplement with some fresh forage, such as sweetcorn stalks, and treats, such as sweet feed or range cubes.)
• Prepare a place for a steer for several months. You need access to fresh water, but not necessarily pasture. Most people feel the beef is more tender if the animal is not allowed to walk around much. A 10'x10' pen would be adequate if you are prepared to remove manure buildup. Also make sure it has good drainage to avoid urine puddles.
• Borrow a horse-trailer or small livestock trailer.
• Go to your area livestock market and ask at the office to be referred to one of their regular cattle buyers. Meet with one and ask them to do you a favor and buy a steer with good fattening potential on your behalf. (They bid, but have the sale assigned to your bid number). Most would likely be happy to help you out if you ask politely. The livestock market may or may not take a personal check so check first. (Also tell your buyer you want a gentle animal. One which gets excited while in the show ring isn't worth the hassle regardless of their potential beef quality.)

  Chances are 99.99+% the animal came fresh off a pasture so don't be concerned about it having been fed meat and bone meal or having been given growth hormones. Very few producers put growth hormone capsules in the ears of calves due to the hassle involved in doing so.

• Bring the steer to where it will be fattened and do so. Keeping fresh water available will be important so check it to make sure it hasn't been stepped or dumped in.
• If you are going to give it a name, make it Sir Loin, T-Bone, Meatloaf, Mr. Hamburger or something. Make sure your kids know where it is headed and that it is not a large pet.
• How much gain you want to put on is up to you. Say your goal is an additional 200 pounds. You can buy tapes (probably at your local Farm & Fleet or similar place) which go around the body behind the front legs for a reading. The general consensus seems to be a young 1,000 pound steer is what to shoot for. Angus is great, but dairy breeds can also produce excellent beef. They just take longer to reach the optimum slaughter weight.
• About a month before you think the fattening goal will be reached make an appointment with the custom processor. On that morning borrow the trailer and take the animal in. You can tell the processor how you want everything cut and what to do with the extra parts, such as the tongue and heart being ground up with the hamburger. It may be worth while to pay a bit extra to have it hung (aged) longer than normal. There aren't that many prime cuts on a carcass so you will end up mostly with stew meat and hamburger.

(An alternative to taking it in live, is to dispatch it in or near its pen while it is distracted, such as when its head is down in a feed bucket. Then take in two halves or quarters to be aged and cut. Some feel this greatly improves tenderness as the animal does not get excited before being killed. It will also save you some money on the processing fee.)

I suspect it is much like gardening. You probably don't save money in growing your own, but you do know the quality and where it came from.