ANGUS studs, including a few that haven't shown for a while, are getting ready to celebrate their breed at royal shows this year, with Angus being the feature breed at Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
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Organisers are expecting a boost in entries given the centenary celebrations, with each state committee of Angus Australia planning special events to mark the milestone.
The Sydney Angus feature show program includes a cocktail function, a stand-alone Angus steer show and the grand parade of Angus cattle, led by a 15-piece pipe band, on the show’s opening night.
Read the full Summer Angus publication here.
The Sydney event is expected to be the biggest feature show in Australia and will also feature youth competitions in parading, judging and photography that are open to Angus Youth members.
“We've heard from people that haven't shown for a long time, because everybody wants to be there and celebrate the breed,” committee chairman, Tim Lord, said.
“This season is making it a bit challenging but hopefully other states will support it as well.”
The RAS Angus sale, to be held on April 14, is also expected to be bigger this year.
“We'll have some first-time vendors in the sale, as well as some that haven't sold there for a few years.”
Show stalwart, Greg Fuller, Pine Creek Angus, has been exhibiting at the royal shows for close to 50 years.
The Cowra, NSW, stud is one of the most successful on the show circuit, with five or six Hordern trophies, and supreme exhibit at Melbourne and Adelaide multiple times.
“I had show horses but I was more interested in the cattle, so I got my first stud heifer for my ninth birthday and started showing straight away at the local country shows,” Mr Fuller said.
Preparation for the 10 to 12 bulls and females begins in January for the Sydney event.
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“It's a lot more work than most people think, and to do it successfully you've got to put the work in, but the biggest window into the industry is the show ring, especially at Sydney,” he said.
“We don't have an on-property sale any more, so it's the way we sell our bulls.
“We're still selling 70 to 100 bulls privately without a problem, mainly to big operators, and some of them are buying up to 20 at a time.”
His daughter, Christie Kennedy, also shows with her Black Diamond Red Angus stud.
“Last year her Red Angus cow beat our bull for supreme exhibit at Melbourne but we beat her in Adelaide.
“She's grown up showing, starting with the calves. She had to lie about her age the first year of the Angus Youth Roundup because she had to be six and she was only five.”