Steer a Year is a research project carried out each year on the campus of Olds College, at Olds, Alberta. Five steers of each participating breed are taken to the campus in October. After becoming acclimatized, they are put on a specified feed regimen for the winter months, with feed consumption being monitored, and weights taken regularly.  The animals are cared for by students at the college. In April, the animals come off the test and are slaughtered, at which time carcass data is also recorded for each one.      

In the Steer a year program, the five Dexter steers entered are always purebred steers, while many of the other breeds enter crossbreds. Also, unlike many of the other participating breeds, Dexter test cattle receive no growth hormone implants.

The final stats for each animal of all participating breeds, and the breed averages for 2008-09 can be viewed on this Spreadsheet.