CATTLE enthusiasts are breaking out the show sticks - some for the first time this year - for the Colin Say and Company Led Beef Extravaganza on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13.
The event is one of only a few hoof and hook competitions to be held in 2020, with COVID-19 impacting many agricultural shows.
The third Led Beef Extravaganza, to be held at Glen Innes Showground has attracted 165 entries, competing for $20,000 in cash and prizes.
The event begins on Saturday with the junior heifer and steer classes, with the heifer class and lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight classes for steers to be held on the Sunday.
All steers and heifers competing in the Led Beef Extravaganza will be processed, with awards for top carcases to be announced at the end of the month.
Siblings shine in the show ring
Merriwa siblings Caity and Clayton Porter are hoping to repeat their success at last year's Colin Say and Company Led Beef Extravaganza, after taking out grand champion middleweight steer and supreme exhibit of the show with their Charolais-cross steer in 2019.
All seven steers placed in their classes, and they also had success on the hook, with their Limousin-cross steer, a grandson of Manali Fiction, winning grand champion trade carcase.
While this year's group of two middleweight steers is much smaller, the Porters are looking forward to seeing how they perform.
They've been showing cattle for a few years, after their older sister Montana started showing while at school.
They then broke in a steer bred by their father Rick, and they've attended many youth shows, learning from stud breeders and professionals in the industry.
Caity said they'd had a lot of support from breeders.
"We get our steers from the Medds at Merriwa, Colin McGilchrist from Wallabadah, and Mr Leggett at Merriwa, who passed away recently," she said.
"We also have a good cattle buyer who gets a couple for us through the saleyards."
The siblings have started to breed their own calves, as well as managing their show pen, which has just two steers this year, but last year housed 22 steers.
The Porters usually compete in many hoof and hook competitions, including Wingham Beef Week, Casino Beef Week, the Scone Beef Bonanza, and Ekka, along with the Glen Innes event.
"We went to a lot more shows last year," Caity said.
"We had eight earlier in the year, heading to Casino Beef Week, but we sold all those to Alexander Downs because we've had no shows on.
"We bought these two steers last year when everybody was selling young calves because of the drought."
The Porters are big supporters of the Led Beef Extravaganza, along with Colin Say and Co's Potential Show Steer Sale held earlier in the year.
"Clayton sold a steer he bred himself in the sale this year, and he also bought a stud heifer from Col (McGilchrist) out of there too that he's going to breed from.
"He's hoping to breed another good steer out of her, and dad's got a couple of good calves that he hopes to take to the sale next year too."
