Casino beef producer Tom Amey among MSA eating quality award winners in NSW

Following last week's MSA eating quality awards night at Wagga, Brahman cross breeder Tom Amey, Mummulgum via Casino, wowed the judges by returning figures on yearling calves that proved them to be top tucker among fine dining.

As winner among the smaller producers with 300 breeders, Mr Amey's calves by Murray Grey bulls from F1 Brahman over Murray Grey/Friesan cows, suited to his North Coast country, returned highest compliance and MSA index for band two beef herds.

His direct consigned calves recorded an average carcase weight of 215kg with 100 per cent compliance and an average index of 63.15.

Winner of the larger producer class, the Campbell family of Merriwa with 280kg carcase weight average from supplementary-fed Angus cattle, eventually sold to Woolworths, recording 99.7pc compliance and an index of 62.51.

Only the winning feedlot recorded a higher score, for true Angus, long fed for 270 days at NH Foods' Wyallah Beef at Bective Station near Gunnedah, with a marble score of 590, compliance at 99.7pc and an MSA index of 63.31.

The stunning result for the North Coast Brahman cross calves clearly speaks well about district breeding, with Brahman bulls from the Johnson family at Grafton giving vigour to Murray Grey/Friesian cows, with terminal Murray Grey sires bred by Paul and Sandra Francis from Dorrigo.

Mr Amey had been working on his cross for 42 years, beginning with Hereford/Friesan back to Hereford, sourced from dairy producers, followed by Brahman/Friesian back to Charolais before reducing frame size and increasing fat cover with Murray Grey.

The Friesian component had been retained for milk. Brahman was always bred over the British cross for best vigour.

Calves are consigned direct to McCaughey Meats at Casino, killed at Northern Co-operative Meat Company, and marketed into butchers' shops along the North Coast.

"I constantly argue the case for the potential of the grazing lands east of the escarpment in NSW," Mr Amey said.

"I do this primarily through the Southern Australian Livestock Research Council and the Livestock Productivity Partnership where I provide producer consultation input. Many people and organisations can share in the win."

But key to his success, besides quiet and content cows, was a willingness to maintain a rising plane of nutrition in progeny, which reduces ossification and increases eating quality.

Autumn/winter drop calves are introduced to grain, supplied by Norco Rural, during the lean months of spring when conditions are traditionally tough.

"It's a lot easier to get calves to eat something new when they're hungry," Mr Amey said.

Come December steers and heifers have full access to creep feed bins, designed to keep cows out, and in a good year they might chew through $200 worth of product. This year, being so dry that figure is more like $280.

But Mr Amey said there was a direct, two to three-fold return on that investment when yearlings were sent for slaughter, from end of February to June.

Meat Standards Australia was developed by the Australian Red Meat Industry to improve eating quality and consistency. The system is based on about 800,000 consumer taste tests and takes into account all factors that affect eating quality from paddock to plate.

Factors that impact eating quality and therefore MSA index are the use of HGPs, marbling, hump height, ossification and access to milk.

Compliance requires carcase pH to be less than 5.71, rib fat depth to be greater than 3mm and sufficient fat cover over the whole carcase.

Mr Amey said that his yearlings being 25pc Brahman, does prejudice their MSA index through the hump height measurement. An increase in hump height of 10mm gives a decrease in the MSA index of 0.7 Units.

"I question the Brahman content affecting eating quality as I suspect most of the Brahman infused cattle used in the 800,000 taste tests that helped create MSA would have come from cattle that had tough conditions in their early lives which would affect the proportion of connective tissue and ossification as well.," he said.

"My yearlings have a positive growth plane from day one. Firstly, their mothers are one-quarter Friesian, so they get heaps of milk. If the seasonal conditions are really harsh I do give them a grain supplement in October/November. The finishing ration is usually fed from January.

"The positive impact of the Brahman F1 female far outweighs the negative impact on the MSA index. Their longevity and adaption to the subtropical climate and steep terrain and their basic doing ability makes them a must in my yearling producing operation.

"I can increase my MSA index by using Brahman bull with smaller humps. A decrease of 10mm carcase hump height should increase the index by 0.7 units.

"I can decrease the ossification index by 17 units by selecting for higher growth and slaughtering the yearlings a bit younger and so increasing the MSA index by one unit. The MSA marble score can be increased by 55 units; increasing the MSA index by 0.8 units. Done by paying attention to the marbling figures of the sires used in the program. So at the end of the day an MSA index of 65.5 is achievable."

Interestingly, participants in the contest were never aware they were in the running, which was open to all registered producers of MSA qualified cattle.

Mr Amey, like the other winners, was only notified of his good work when he was notified that he fell into the top 100, followed by a quiet word that he had made top three.

Hosted by Meat and Livestock Australia, the competition - which was very low key, and "low stress", according to one winner, simply compared averages from all animals sent for slaughter.

"It was a numbers game," Tony Fitzgerald of NH Foods' Wyallah Beef said.

"And it highlighted what the business is already doing - delivering high quality beef."

NH Foods' figures from long fed straight Angus fed at Bective Station near Gunnedah were used to justify the best feedlot winner, recording 99.7 per cent compliance and an MSA index of 63.31. Out of 6000 head delivered only nine failed to comply, while 5 was the average marble score.

Upper Hunter producers LD Campbell Pty Ltd, Merriwa, won most outstanding MSA beef producer (Band 1) which recognises the larger enterprises.

A decision to register for MSA 20 years ago is now paying off for the Campbell family, who sell into domestic supermarkets all year round, despite the tough conditions caused by the drought.

Peter Campbell, who farms with wife Wendy, along with parents Ron and Betty, and brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Karen Campbell, says the premium for MSA graded cattle has grown considerably since his father signed up for the program.

"Dad signed up to make sure we had capacity to sell into all markets when the time came, and it has really come into play since we started supplying to Woolworths 25 years ago," Peter said.

"Being able to sell into Woolworths is a huge benefit to our business.

"It gives us the ability to turn off our stock throughout the year whenever they are ready to go."

The family supplies 450 head a year to the supermarket giant under a contract, which allows grain finished animals.

The cattle are mostly managed in a rotational grazing system on native and improved lucerne-based pastures.

However, in recent dry times, the family have finished them in drought paddocks, using a grain ration of wheat, barley, sorghum and hay to help stock reach live weights of at least 500 kilograms.

Outstanding Feedlot:

Outstanding MSA Beef Producer (Band 1):

Outstanding MSA Beef Producer (Band 2):

MSA Progress Award: