The study looked at how the weight of beef calves at weaning has changed over time in the U.S. beef cattle industry. They analyzed data from different programs and auctions from 1983 to 2017. The results showed that weaning weights have been increasing over the years, but the rate of increase varies between different regions and programs. In some areas, the weights plateaued or even decreased after reaching a peak. Overall, there is a lot of variation in weaning weights across different operations, especially in Southern states.