Cliff and Sasha Mylrea, Needmor Cattle Co, Gogango, claimed Grand Champion pen.

LONG-time competitors Cliff and Sasha Mylrea of Needmor Cattle Co, Gogango, claimed the grand championship in Beef 2024’s Commercial Cattle Championships judged today, with a pen of ten Droughtmaster steers.

Fed at Barmount Station feedlot for 127 days and producing an average liveweight of 704kg, the HGP-treated champion grainfed steers came from the export grainfed steer class for entries 640-760kg.

The win follows the Mylreas’ success in 2021, when they exhibited champion pen of grainfed heifers, as well as the champion pen of crop or pasture-fed steers.

Mr Mylrea said they were “over the moon” to be taking home the grand champion rosette.

“We’ve been entering a lot of cattle competitions, but Beef in particular, for a long time and this is the first time we’ve shown the champion pen, so it’s really good and we’re proud of them,” he said.

It’s a win that almost didn’t happen though.

“It was a dry year last year and we were very close to not having them here,” Mr Mylrea said.

“You’ve got to carry them from when you wean them through to that feedlot weight and there was a decision to be made about whether we sold them to make room for our cows, or hang onto them.

“Fortunately, the season has turned around and the decision has paid off.”

Mac and Gayle Shann, Cantaur Park, Clermont, exhibited champion grainfed heifers

Fellow Droughtmaster breeders, Mac and Gayle Shann, Cantaur Park, Clermont, also had a successful first day of Beef 2024, with their pen of ten Droughtmaster x Charolais heifers judged Champion Grainfed heifers.

Averaging 578kg, the HGP-treated heifers earlier topped the heavy trade heifer class.

“We’re always proud to be in this first row where the champions are,” Mr Shann said.

“A lot of time, effort and dollars go into it, but it’s a magnificent result.”

Out of Droughtmaster breeders run on marginal country, the champion heifers were a credit to their cows that keep “backing up and punching out calves of this quality every year,” the Shanns said.

“We have a line of Droughtmaster breeders that we cross with Charolais bulls and they’re a cross we particularly love,” Mrs Shann said.

“We put two pens together for this class and we’re very happy with these girls, but you never know until the day you get here.”

In grassfed competition, champion pen of crop or pasture fed steers were the winners of the 560-650kg class, two-tooth Shorthorn x Charbray steers averaging 636kg exhibited by Essex Grazing Co.

Champion pen of crop or pasture fed heifers came from the export class, Santa x Angus heifers averaging 580kg at mostly milk and two teeth, exhibited by Burleigh Estates.

Class results:

Two-tooth grainfed export steers class: Shorthorn x Charbray steers exhibited by Essex Grazing Co.

Heavy trade steers 70-day grainfed: Codrilla Pastoral Co, Angus x Romagnola (milk teeth 600kg)

70-day grainfed light trade steers: Essex Grazing Co, Charbray steers, milk teeth 487kg

70-day grainfed light trade heifers: Randall and Tanya Zeisemer, Charbray heifers. Milk teeth 500kg (reserve champion grainfed heifers)

Grassfed export steers, maximum four teeth: Needmor Cattle Co Droughtmasters averaging 648kg at two teeth.

HGP-free/EU grassfed export steers: Essex Grazing Co Charbrays 650kg

Grassfed trade heifers HGP-free: CV Pastoral Co, Angus and Angus cross, 494kg at milk teeth.

Remaining class results were either too indistinct to read on the Beef 2024 website image, or failed to identify first place getters.

Source: Beef 2024