Young Shorthorn breeder, Cooper Carter from Tumut, has conquered the RAS/ASC beef cattle young judges contest taking home the champion trophy during his first attempt in the state final.
Mr Carter, who has been involved in the stud cattle industry for his entire life, represented Group 8 Riverina following qualification at the Henty show under judge Lachie Collins, Echuca.
This was my first time competing in the state final and I thought it was a great opportunity to improve my skills and become more confident as a judge and learn from PJ Budler, one of the best cattle judges in the world right now, he said.
The competition was officiated by international judge PJ Budler from Fort Worth, Texas, who is a world-renowned cattle judge. Mr Budler also judged the Hereford Feature Show and the Urquhart Trophy.
He has taken part in a range of royal and local shows across the country as well as numerous junior heifer shows, working with different breeds including Limousin and Shorthorn.
I have been competing at junior shows since I was old enough (six-years-old), and I first took a heifer to Sydney Royal in 2005, Mr Carter said.
Previously I have won my age division at the Shorthorn Youth Show and the National All Breeds Junior Heifer Show.
He was recently the associate judge at the Royal Canberra Show following his overall win of the 2016 Royal Canberra Show junior judging competition. Mr Carter officiated alongside Dr Thomas Grupp, Germany, in the Fleckvieh Feature Show, and Donna Robson, Flemington Limousins, Adelong, in the Limousin ring.
However his accomplishments have not been limited to junior judging competitions.
Mr Carters ability and strengths span across a range of areas including cattle parading, breeding and fitting.
In 2016 he was part of the reserve champion fitting team in the inaugural Sullivans Stock Show U fitting challenge held at the Sydney Royal. He was also named grand champion parader at the 2016 Stud Beef Victoria Handlers Camp.
Mr Carter is on the Shorthorn Youth committee and takes pride in annually exhibiting his own cattle under his own stud, Coopers Shorthorns, alongside his familys Shorthorn stud Blackjack Shorthorns.
He has successfully exhibited a number of champions, including most recently the 2015 and 2016 supreme Shorthorn exhibits at Sydney Royal, and the grand champion bull at the 2016 Dectomax Shorthorn National Show and Sale.
In 2016 Mr Carters bull, Coopers BJS Ace in the Hole, was named the Shorthorn Champion of Asia/Africa and Shorthorn Champion of the World.
Mr Carter attends Yanco Agricultural High School where he is a member of the beef cattle show team.
Despite being only 16-years-old, in 2017 Mr Carter traveled to America for five weeks to work with Waukaru Shorthorns. He spent three weeks at Waukaru in Indiana before heading to the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, where the stud was successful in winning champion pen of three Shorthorn bulls.
Travelling overseas was an amazing opportunity to learn how they do things over there and something I couldnt pass up, he said.
I will be heading to the Shorthorn Junior Nationals in America this June.
Mr Carter will now compete in the RAS/ASC National Final to be held at the Royal Adelaide Show in September.