Lorenzen Ranches of Pendleton has built alliances in the Northwest to add value and marketing opportunities to its customers’ cattle.

That groundwork helped the Lorenzens and their industry partners earn the GridMaster award at the national Red Angus convention in Cheyenne, Wyo., Sept. 17-19. The GridMaster award recognizes producers and feeders whose cattle achieved carcass excellence when harvested.

The Lorenzens purchased cattle from their customer, Van Schoiack Ranch of Heppner, and fed the cattle at Beef Northwest Feeders of Boardman. Another Lorenzen patron, Skinner Ranches of Jordan Valley, fed their cattle at Y-1 Farms Feedyard of Vale.

Lorenzen Ranches previously had negotiated a fed-cattle pricing grid with Beef Northwest to add quality and yield premiums to Red Angus-influenced cattle. Lorenzens, Van Schoiack Ranch, Beef Northwest, Skinner Ranches and Y-1 Farms Feedyard all were among 14 producers and feeders that earned the GridMaster award.

The Van Schoiack Ranch cattle were harvested through the Tyson plant in Pasco, Wash., on the Beef Northwest Grid. This was Beef Northwest’s first conventionally fed lot of cattle harvested through a Tyson plant to earn a GridMaster award. The cattle scored 91 percent choice.

Skinner Ranches also harvested at the Tyson plant, but chose the Painted Hills Grid for its Natural cattle. This was the first Natural lot through a Tyson plant and one of only two Natural lots of cattle that qualified for GridMaster status this year. Skinner’s lot scored 95 percent Choice and 54 percent Yield Grade 1s and 2s.