Ken Knudsen and RNA Councillor Jane Onley.

THE Knudsen family might be first-time entrants in the Ekka prime cattle competition, but it is a breeding and marketing strategy developed over generations they credit for success in this year’s competition.

Ken and Jackie Knudsen from Kilbeggan, north of Chinchilla, won ribbons in multiple classes – taking out first, second and third in the ‘grass and pasture fed pen of six steers’ and first in the heavy section of the newly added feeder steer competition.

After a one-year hiatus, the Ekka organisers revamped the prime cattle section this year, moving it from Silverdale to Dalby, posted record entries of 907 head.

Speaking on The Week in Beef podcast, Mr Knudsen said he made a last-minute decision to enter after his agent (GDL’s Russell Jorgensen) suggested they put some cattle in.

“We have some grass-fed paddock bulls we are trying to get out into the public, so it was more of an advertising thing. If we did get a ribbon we could say that is what they bred or that’s what their brothers were,” he said.

“I realised how big a deal it was when I started getting calls after the competition with people congratulating me. It’s a pretty good effort I think.”

The Knudson family have been breeding cattle at Kilbeggan Station north of Chinchilla, in the Auburn district, since 1942 – with other properties added to the portfolio over that time and Ken and his brothers now in the third generation.

The cattle entered in the competition were from Santa Gertrudis cows and bulls, with the bulls being a mix of animals bred on the property and other stud bulls bought in.

Feeder market becoming a handy outlet

Mr Knudsen said he had always kept the market strategy simple and focused on doing the things they do well – breeding and fattening cattle on a large scale.

“My father Wayne always said not to chop and change too much, not to follow the trends and stick with what you know,” he said.

“We pretty much just book them into the processors when they are ready and if we fall a bit short, we sell them as feeders.”

While the feeder market has always been a fall back when it is dry, Mr Knudsen said strong prices lately had also made it a good outlet for keeping up cash flow.

“We have actually had a very good season compared to a lot of other people down south. But the feeder money was so good that I did sell a big run of feeders a couple of weeks ago,” he said.

“Feedlots are getting bigger and a lot of people are getting out of breeders and just buying weaners, growing them to feeders and turning them off – and it seems like a profitable way to go. Our breeder country is not good enough to do that, but it is great for breeding.”

Competition likely to grow again next year

While this is his first time entering any Ekka competition, aside from the rodeo in his youth, Mr Knudsen said he was could see the number of entries in the prime cattle section growing again next year with the move to Dalby.

Dalby is very central to a lot of cattle in Queensland and it is in the tick-free zone – some people do not like sending cattle down to the ticky area,”

“It is a good way to advertise your cattle, or put your cattle out in the public eye, to see what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.”