MSA research grader Matt Scott discusses performance of entries with exhibitors in the chillers at Byrnes Abattoir, Tolga, Far North Qld, during this year’s carcase competition

AUSTRALIA’S most northerly beef carcase competition held on Saturday proved again that North Queensland grassfed cattle carrying the right genetic and feeding background have a legitimate place in the quality domestic table beef market.

The Byrnes family’s Rocky Creek abattoir hosted its annual NQ Best Beef carcase competition, attracting a total of 105 entries this year in three pasture fed and unrestricted feeding classes. Entries came from across the Atherton Tableland and larger-scale grazing areas to the west and south. Most entries this year carried no HGP.

The event, first held in 2002, is designed to showcase the region’s top-quality cattle and celebrating the skill of local producers, butcher wholesale customers from Cairns, the local area and as far south as Townsville who regularly buy the beef,  and industry partners.

The elevated, highly fertile, high-rainfall Atherton Tableland region west of Cairns has been described as Far North Qld’s ‘patch of King Island’, with the ability to turn off quality grassfed young beef virtually year-round.

Once a major tropical milk-producing region, the local dairy industry has largely disappeared, leaving a valuable tropical improved grass and legume pasture resource now being utilised by landowners for beef production. See this earlier story about the tableland’s transformation from dairy to beef.

Most entries this year carried somewhere from 25pc to 75pc indicus, although the trend among competition entries is towards softer cattle over the past few years. Genetics included stabilised composites blending meat quality and adaption traits like Brangus, Ultrablacks and Droughtmasters, through to crossbreds carrying some Euro, tropical hybrid or tropically-adopted bos Taurus genetics and a few higher content indicus animals. Most were milk or two tooth at slaughter, at 20-24 months.

This year’s awards night attracted an audience of 160, held in a magnificent heritage-listed, fully restored WWII Nissen Hut near Mareeba.

Following MSA grading by MSA research grader Matt Scott, the 105 entries in this year’s competition produced an average MSA Eating Quality Index score very close to that recorded for all grassfed Queensland cattle submitted for MSA grading during the month of October.

And this year’s competition cattle did it under considerable adversity. September-October is hardly the ideal time in the annual far northern weather cycle to produce well-finished young trade cattle. And all the entries this year had the toughest of starts to their lives, having endured anywhere from 1000mm to 1800mm of relentless rain between late 2023 and early last year, as a result of Cyclone Jasper.

That early setback was evident in some MSA grading results that were a little behind results seen the previous two years, but regardless, most of the cattle graded extremely well. Eye muscle areas and oss scores were down a little this year, due to the tough early start.

Entries were assessed for MSA and killfloor traits plus lean meat yield and alignment with market specs, with bonus points for tightness of weight groupings, and higher yield and marbling.

Calen Byrnes with Deana Nasser, representing the exhibitors of the champion pen of carcases in the 2025 North Qld Best Beef carcase competition, results from which were announced on Saturday night

Champion pen

Overall champion Pen of Three carcases this year were Brangus cross heifers exhibited by Terry Tranter and Nick Reynolds’ Red Bend Farming Co based at Innot Hot Springs, on the drier western fringe of the Tablelands.

Mostly milk-tooth heifers with carcase weights 242-259kg, they claimed the light pasturefed class for entries up to 290kg. Finished on stylo, couch and speargrass based pasture, their index scores ranged up to 59.8.

They came from the lightweight grassfed yearling class for carcases less than 290kg, with the class runners-up award going to Patrick Donaghy and Narelle Robins with Droughtmaster cross heifers.

Class 2 winners for heavier grassfed entries were Tony and Ivanka McDonald with Droughtmaster steers from the tabelands’ former dairy heartland of Upper Barron, pictured with host Calen Byrnes from Byrnes abattoir

In the heavier of the two grassfed classes for entries above 290kg, the winners were Tony and Ivanka McDonald with softer-type Droughtmaster steers from the tabelands dairy heartland of Upper Barron, grown-out on brachiaria, setaria and glycine tropical pastures, while runners-up were James and Deana Nasser with Droughtmaster steers.

Nathan and Alison Hughes, Dirran Creek Farming, between Milla and Malanda, exhibited first and second in the unrestricted feeding class with Brangus steers finished on high-performance dairy-type pastures.

The open unrestricted feeding class produced a win as well as a runners-up ribbon for Nathan and Alison Hughes, Dirran Creek Farming, between Milla and Malanda with Brangus steers finished on high-performance dairy-type pastures.

Their entries included the highest individual MSA index score recorded this year of 62.15, for a Brangus steer.

Overall individual champion carcase this year was a Brangus heifer from one of the Red Bend Farming teams, producing 85.95 points out of a possible 100, with a 242kg carcase weight, eye muscle of 74sq cm, oss of 140, marbling score of 1 and rib/P8 fat of 4/13mm, lean meat yield of 61.14pc and MSA eating quality index of 59.81.

Red Bend also exhibited the second highest scoring individual carcase, with K and WC Pashen third with a Santa x Brahman heifer.

• An industry panel session was held prior to the awards dinner, featuring Teys Australia’s Ethan Mooney, Beef Central’s Jon Condon and Rabobank economist Angus Gidley Baird. Key messages from the panel session to come in a separate story later.

Part of the audience of 160 attending the awards dinner

Panel session members from left, Beef Central’s Jon Condon, Teys Australia’s Ethan Mooney and Rabobank economist Angus Gidley Baird, with moderator and event host Allan Ball from Elders

John and Janine O’Brien in the chillers at Byrnes Abattoir during the carcase viewing