Getting Ready for the Fair: Clipping Beef Cattle

Clipping a steer not only helps the animal regulate its temperature more efficiently, it improves its appearance for showtime or auction. But it’s a learned skill that takes a lot of practice. This nine-and-a-half-minute how-to video shows you all the basics. While an experienced rancher works on a steer, narration provides guidance about the best equipment to use and techniques to apply, from start to finish, including blowing the hair (which makes the hair easier to clip) and then trimming the tail, sheath and brisket, head, neck and front end, topline and tailhead, legs and underline.