This year the competition will be hormone growth promotant (HGP) free to allow entrants to nominate their carcases for the National Carcase Competition held in conjunction with Beef Australia 2021.
Australian Community Media national livestock advertising manager Brett Tindal said this was the second time the feedback trial had offered this to producers, the first being in 2018 when 189 head were dual entered in the competitions.
“The concept was derived from seeing an opportunity to allow our vendors to compete on a national basis without having to do anything from their end other than select their three animals from their five in our trial,” Mr Tindal said.
“They select them, we process and grade them the same as usual with a MSA (Meat Standards Australia) grader grading all our steers, we simply grab the data and send to Beef Australia 2021.
“We will also secure several tables at the carcase competition dinner at Beef 2021 and take our vendors that will be attending Beef 2021 to the presentation night.”
This year the entry weight specification has been lifted from 320 to 460 kilograms, to 360kg to 480kg, to coincide with the move to a HGP-free format.
Mr Tindal said this would allow the dual entered cattle to gain the five MSA points for being HGP-free.
“In 2018 our vendors were hampered as the animals had a HGP in them, causing them to lose five points per animal before we started which allowed us not to compete,” he said. “This time we hope to really compete in the export classes.”
Moving to HGP-free also allows comparisons to be made to previous years where HGP were used.
Numbers for the 2021 event are slightly back, with 415 head entered representing 83 teams from across NSW and Victoria. This is down from the 435 steers in the 2020 trial.
Now in its 12th year, the NSW Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial has had 4600 steers go through the competition, with the largest trial registering 600 head.
“There are 47 individual vendors this year, of which 11 are brand new to the competition,” Mr Tindal said.
For the first time the Bazadais breed will be represented along with the Durham Tropicals breed, which makes a return.
Other breeds being trialled include; Angus, Australian Beef Composites, Charolais, black baldy, Blue E, Hereford, Limousin Murray Grey, Red Angus, Simmental, Shorthorn and Speckle Park.
Steers will be trucked to Teys Jindalee Feedlot by Shanahan’s Livestock Transport, with induction at the end of August.
“There will be a mid term field … steers will be processed early December, with the presentation dinner set for the last Friday in January,” he said.
Source: The Rural