CHAROLAIS cattle from the Bondfield family’s Palgrove Pastoral Company at Dalveen, Qld, and the Millner family’s Rosedale Livestock Partnership at Blayney, NSW, excelled across three weight gain, carcase and eating quality sections to win the overall 100-day export and 70-day trade classes respectively in the 2019 RNA Paddock to Palate Competition.

Wagyu steers exhibited by Richard and Dyan Hughes, Wentworth Cattle Company, Clermont, took the major honours in the 2019 Wagyu Challenge, while Shorthorn steers from Spencer and Godfrey Morgan’s The Grove at Condamine, outperformed all other entries in the new HGP-free class.

The winners came from a field of 889 cattle entered across the four sections this year, the largest number of entries since 2015 according to the RNA, a strong indication of the value in which the feedback and data obtained from the competition is held even in the middle of a severe drought gripping vast tracts of eastern Australia.

The RNA Paddock to Palate competition is three-phased, comprising best aggregate weight gain; a carcase competition and an MSA eating quality competition, while the 2018/19 Wagyu Challenge is four-phased, finishing in a beef taste off judged by some of Queensland’s top chefs.

100 day export class (Class 37)

For the second year running purebred Charolais cattle from Palgrove Pastoral Company have taken overall honours in the 100 day export class to win the Sturrock Trophy.

In fact Palgrove entries took both first and second places overall in the heavily-contested 100 day class, reinforcing the commercial might of the Palgrove cattle and bloodlines.

A pen of Angus cross cattle bred by Russell Pastoral Company at Champion Station near Blackall built on a strong performance in the weight gain section to finish third overall in the 100 day export class.

In June a pen of six Palgrove Pastoral Company steers won the weight gain section of the 100 day competition with an average daily gain of 3.095kg.

Palgrove Pastoral Company also had strong success with its Charolais Ultrablack Cross cattle entered in the HGP-free section, claiming the award for champion carcase in the class, and third place in the HGP free pen of six carcase value competition.

70 day trade class (Class 38)

Charolais exhibits also dominated the 70 day trade class.

The class was won on overall aggregate points across all three sections by Charolais steers from the Millner family’s Rosedale Livestock Partnership, Blayney, NSW, which had earlier won the class 38 pen of six carcases, reserve champion carcase and second and third places on eating quality points.

Michael and Jenny Millner and son James and Robbie sell Charolais bulls and composite bulls (Charolais/Angus and Charolais/Shorthorn) in addition to running a large commercial cattle operation on properties at Blayney and Dubbo.

Rosedale Charolais cattle have won numerous major cattle competitions in NSW including the Australian National Field Days steer competition, Beef Spectacular and Sydney Royal Beef Challenge, but James Millner told Beef Central this win in one of the nation’s toughest and most strongly contested cattle competitions was a major reward.

Second overall in the trade class was a line of Angus cross steers produced by Dulacca commercial cattle producers Lee and Megan McNicholl from the McNicholl Family Trust, which amassed further points in the carcase and eating quality section after winning the weight gain section of the class with an average daily gain of 2.951kg.

Third in the class was a pen of Shorthorn exhibits from Godfrey and Spencer Morgan, The Grove, Condamine, which also performed very strongly the new HGP free class (see below).

The champion carcase in the 70 day trade class was also won by a straight Charolais, exhibited by Grafton based stock and station agent Ray Donovan.

Wagyu Challenge (Class 39)

Richard and Dyan Hughes Wentworth Cattle Company from Clermont was the major winner in the third annual Wagyu challenge, winning the beef taste off and placing second in the pen of six carcases to take first place in the overall standings.

Hamish and Mary McIntyre from McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, St George, wore out plenty of shoe leather returning to the stage repeatedly to collect awards, both in the Wagyu Challenge and in the eating quality section of the 100 day export class (more below).

In the Wagyu challenge their F1 Angus steers took first place in the pen of six Wagyu carcases, and produced the reserve champion carcase, to place second overall in the Wagyu challenge.

Deepwater Holdings Pty Ltd (75%) finished in third place in overall standings in the Wagyu Challenge, while LA and DL Henschell (Fullblood), exhibited the champion individual carcase.

AA Co (F1 crossbred) and Jerome Hayden (50pc Shorthorn) shared top honours in the pen of six carcase value section.

HGP-free 120 day export class (Class 40)

After winning second and fourth places in the weight gain section of the brand new HGP-free 120 export class in June, with ADGs of 2.517kg and 2.505kg/day, The Grove’s Shorthorn steers went on to dominate the class after the carcase and eating quality scores were taken into account.

The Grove’s steers took first and third place in the non-HGP pen of six carcases, second place in the non-HGP pen of six carcase value competition, won the award for highest value individual carcase in the class, and then claimed first and second positions as the overall winners of the class.

Eating quality awards

Among the major winners in the eating quality sections of this year’s competition were Hamish and Mary McIntyre from McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, St George, with their Angus entries winning both first and second place in the eating quality section of the Class 37 100 day export class, in addition to winning the Highest Individual Index score in the same class.

In third place was a pen of Speckle Park X Angus exhibited by Dennis Power of Minnamurra Pastoral Co from Coolah in NSW.

Going one better, Minnamurra Speckle Park x Angus entries then also won the eating quality section of the Class 38 70 day trade class, with Charolais entries from Rosedale Livestock Partnership in second and third place.

More pictures below results

 OVERALL RESULTS

CLASS 37 EXPORT CLASS – 100 DAY

Class 37B Pen of 6 carcases:

1. David and Prue Bondfield, Palgrove Pastoral Co Pty Ltd, Dalveen, Charolais, catalogue # 83, 536 points
2. Gaylene and Fred Stanford, Stanford Grazing, Charbray, catalogue # 91, 528 points
3. Geoff Comiskey, Comiskey Bazadais, Bazadais cross, catalogue #56, 525 points

Class 37B Reserve Champion Carcase:

Sullivan family, Riverglen Pastoral Company, Charolais, catalogue #84F, 97 points

Class 37B Champion Carcase:

Russell Pastoral Company, Angus Cross, catalogue #86F, 99 points.

Class 37C MSA Eating Quality Competition:

1. Hamish and Mary McIntyre, McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus, catalogue #76, 350.2 points.
2. Hamish and Mary McIntyre, McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus, catalogue #75, 84 points.
3. Dennis Power, Minnamurra Past. Co, Speckle Park X Angus, catalogue #78, 338.18 points.

Class 37C Highest Individual Index score:

Hamish and Mary McIntyre, McIntyre Agriculture Pty Ltd, Angus, Catalogue #76E, 60.53 points.

CLASS 37 STURROCK TROPHY FOR OVERALL WINNER:

1. David and Prue Bondfield, Palgrove Pastoral Company, Charolais, catalogue #83, 742.2 points.
2. David and Prue Bondfield, Palgrove Pastoral Company, Charolais, catalogue #82, 740.28 points.
3. Russell Pastoral Co Pty Ltd, Angus cross, catalogue #86, 731.96 points.

CLASS 38 TRADE CLASS – 70 DAY

Class 38B Pen of six carcases:

1. Rosedale Livestock Partnership, Charolais x Red Angus, catalogue #126, 546 points.
2. Rosedale Livestock Partnership., Charolais x Red Angus, catalogue #125, 545 points.
3. Ben & Megan Drynan, Charbray, catalogue #109, 537 points.

Class 38B Reserve Champion Carcase:

Rosedale Livestock Partnership, Charolais x Red Angus, catalogue #126E, 102 points

Class 38B Champion Carcase:

Ray Donovan, Charolais cross, catalogue #108G, 104 points

Class 38B MSA Eating Quality Competition:

1. Dennis Power, Minnamurra Pastoral Company, Speckle Park x Angus, catalogue #120, 346.81 points.
2. Rosedale Livestock Partnership, Charolais x Red Angus, catalogue #126, 337.86 points
3. Rosedale Livestock Partnership, Charolais x Red Angus, catalogue #125, 336.8 points.

Class 38C Highest Individual Index Score:

Dennis Power, Minnamurra Pastoral Company, Speckle Park x Angus, catalogue #120, 60.76 points.

CLASS 38 KEN CROTTY OAM TROPHY FOR OVERALL WINNER:

1. Rosedale Livestock Partnership, Charolais x Red Angus, catalogue #126, 715.78 points
2. McNicholl Family Trust, Angus x Shorthorn, catalogue #119, 706.04 points.
3. Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #121, 699.33 points.

CLASS 39 – WAGYU CHALLENGE

Class 39B Pen of six carcases:

1. McIntyre Ag Pty Ltd, (F1 Angus), catalogue #18, 474.5 points
2. Wentworth Cattle Company (75%) catalogue #24, 454 points
3. Sunland Cattle Company (Fullblood), catalogue #19, 449 points

Class 39B Reserve Champion Carcase:

McIntyre Ag Pty Ltd, (F1 Angus), catalogue #18E, 89 points

Class 39B Champion Carcase:

LA and DL Henschell (Fullblood), catalogue #9E, 90 points

Class 39C Pen of 6 Carcase Value Competition:
(Carcase value determined by HSCW against a Marbling grid 0-9 price determined in 2017).

=1. AACo Pty Ltd (F1 Crossbred), catalogue #2, 34 points
=1. JE Hayden Pty Ltd (50% Shorthorn), catalogue #11, 34 points
3.  JE Hayden Pty Ltd (50% Angus), catalogue #12, 33 points

Class 39D Beef Taste-off Competition:
(Cut from striploin is cooked by QDAF Scientists and tasted by panel judging panel including some of Brisbane’s top Chefs)

1. Wentworth Cattle Company (75%) catalogue #25D, 93 points.
2. Werner Investments (93%), catalogue #26G, 87.5 points.
3. Hamilton Park Pastoral Company (87%-94%), catalogue #7G, 87 points.

CLASS 39 OVERALL WINNER:

1. Wentworth Cattle Company (75%), catalogue #24, 76.72 points
2. McIntyre Ag Pty Ltd, (F1 Angus), catalogue #18, 74.51 points
3. Deepwater Holdings Pty Ltd (75%), catalogue #3, 74.30 points

CLASS 40 – NON-HGP EXPORT CLASS – 120 DAY

Class 40B Non HGP pen of 6 carcases:

1. G Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #40, 519 points
2. Nebrean Pty Ltd, Charolais cross, catalogue #47, 518 points
3. G Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #38, 515 points

Class 40B Reserve Champion Carcase:

Nebrean Pty Ltd, Charolais cross, catalogue #47C, 95 points

Class 40B Champion Carcase:

Palgrove Pastoral Co Pty Ltd, Charolais Ultrablack Cross, catalogue #48G, 96 points

Class 40C Pen of Six Carcase Value Competition:

1. Tony and Mandy Goodwin, Top End Partnership, Angus, Catalogue #51, 379.23 point
2. G Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #40, 4 points
3. Palgrove Pastoral Co Pty Ltd, Charolais Ultrablack Cross, catalogue #48, 372.75 points

Class 40C Highest Individual Carcass Value Animal:

G Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #40F, 65.59 points

CLASS 40 OVERALL WINNER:

1. G Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #40, 698.38 points
2. G Morgan & Co, Shorthorn, catalogue #38, 687.14 points
3. J & K Dougherty, Charolais cross, catalogue #45, 685.99 points

For winners in the weight gain section announced in June click here to view our earlier article.