The Charolais breeding program from Tumut High School continues to grow in strength, eight years after winning a $200,000 NAB grant to excel their beef genetics.
And excel they have.
The team of 10 students and eight parents exhibited four females and a calf at the Royal Canberra Show on Friday and walked away with four class placings and two championships.
The cow and calf combination of 29-month-old Ryce Cutie Pie 17 and her two-month-old bull calf, Ryce Rocket, proved too sweet a combination for judge Sam Hunter of Yass to look past.
The junior champion at Canberra last year was by Palgrove Hallmark and out of Whitestone Cutie Pie G14.
This year the proven breeder was named senior champion Charolais female before claiming the grand champion female title.
It was a tough battle for the supreme title against junior and grand champion bull, Myona Platinum P22 exhibited by Steve and Natalie Martin, Coonamble, who was admired by Mr Hunter for his power, length of spine and barrel, which he believed offered a lot to the breed and the industry.
But it was the angularity, femininity, beautiful wedge shape and udder of Cutie Pie 17 that saw her secure the supreme win.
"I think a female of that quality today is worthy of being your supreme Charolais exhibit," Mr Hunter said.
Tumut High School's agriculture program began in 1995 but it was in 2012 that their success was turly rewarded.
In the 2012 NAB Schools First National Impact award Tumut High was announced the NSW Impact winner with a $30,000 prize money, overall NSW winner with another $30,000 in prize money and then eventual national winner of 780 entries with a $140,000 in prize money.
The total prize money of $200,000 was reinvested into the program with the purchase of 16 female Charolais heifers and three calves.
One of those cows was Whitestone Cutie Pie E19E, the grandmother of yesterday's supreme exhibit.
"She was the first Charolais heifer we purchased in 2012 to commence the stud and we purchased that from well known breeders Donna and Ian Robson from Adelong," Tumut High School agriculture teacher Tony Butler said.
"She (Donna) has been very supportive of the program all the way through so it was a good touch that it (today's win) comes back around to the start."
The school opts to Canberra and Melbourne Royal shows along with supporting their local circuit.
Mr Butler said their team rose to up to 22 students on some occasions with the majority of participants not from farming backgrounds.
"We have had some really good success in the ag industry," he said.
"We had a student who did the program for six years and she is now an ag teacher down at James Fallon High School and she is a non-farm person. It's been very very successful in all ag careers."
The school also received junior champion female with Ryce Cutie Pie 18 ahead of reserve champion in Myona Opal from Myona Charolais.
While reserve senior champion female was Winchester Annie Oakley exhibited by Susan Nicholas.
There was only the one bull entry but he packed a powerful punch on his way to receiving junior and grand champion titles.
Sixteen-month-old Myona Platinum, by Canadian sire SVY Grizzly and out of Myona Ginghi, was no stranger to award wins having been shown as a calf alongside his mother last year and receiving eight interbreed award wins and reserve grand champion at the Dubbo National.
He was bound for Sydney and the Royal Queensland Show where the Charolais World Congress will be held later this year.
Owner Steve Martin said he would most likely be offered for sale at the Congress event.
Running about 45 to 50 Charolais breeders, last week marked the first time since August 2016 they had been able to stop feeding their cattle after receiving 120 millimetres of rain for the year.
"It's our first time at Canberra with the Charolais because I've got a Murray Grey stud as well that we used to bring but usually I come and clip and fit for other people," he said.
His Canadian sire, who Mr Martin saw and purchased in Canada, was placing the desired impact on their herd.
"I just wanted him to moderate them a bit more and add a bit of thickness," he said.
"You can see that between the bull and the heifer compared to the cow who was very big."
Results
Judge: Sam Hunter, Yass
No. of exhibits: 8
Junior champion bull: Myona Platinum exhibited by Steve and Natalie Martin, Coonamble
Junior champion female: Ryce Cutie Pie 18 exhibited by Tumut High School
Reserve junior champion female: Myona Opal exhibited by Steve and Natalie Martin, Coonamble
Senior champion female: Ryce Cutie Pie 17 exhibited by Tumut High School
Reserve senior champion female: Winchester Annie Oakley K23E exhibited by Susan Nicholas
Grand champion bull: Myona Platinum exhibited by Steve and Natalie Martin, Coonamble
Grand champion female: Ryce Cutie Pie 17 exhibited by Tumut High School
Supreme exhibit: Ryce Cutie Pie 17 exhibited by Tumut High School
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
