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

In the Steer a year program, five Dexter steers were entered and were always purebred steers, while many of the other breeds entered crossbreds. Also, unlike many of the other participating breeds, Dexter test cattle received 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.