Glen Innes High School took home the broad ribbon in both the led steer and carcase competitions - with the same animal - during the 30th anniversary of the Northern Schools Prime Steer Show, held recently at Glen Innes.
There were 150 students from 16 educational institutions handling 64 steers and heifers and they travelled from Maclean and Port Macquarie north to Tenterfield, and west to Bingera, Manilla and Tamworth.
The Speckle over Speckle/Angus steer that caught judge Shad Bailey's eye was bred by bred by Bev and John Winter, Furracabad via Glen Innes, from a cow sired by the Speckle Park Minnamurra Junction.
Winter family steers had done the school proud in the past, placing third in class at the Brisbane Royal in 2018.
During last year's Glen Innes Led Beef Extravaganza a Winter steer came within 0.4 points of claiming the grand champion carcase while being awarded reserve champion heavyweight on the hoof. A Winter family steer won champion carcase at the recent led steer event at Glen Innes in September.
Glen Innes agricultural teachers Jodie Lamph and Scott Miller said this animal expressed double muscling through the Myostatin gene and it was a credit to the students and Riverina stock feeds how they achieved good and even fat cover, first winning the middleweight class at 482kg before going on to claim grand champion.
Killed at Bindaree Beef, Inverell the winning carcase recorded 90 out of 100 MSA points with 64 per cent yield and a significant 113 square centimetre eye muscle area.
Champion lightweight steer was a Droughtmaster prepared and led by students from Maclean High School while Inverell High topped the carcase points with their Murray Grey cross, scoring 81/100 with an EMA of 73sqcm.
Heavy weight champion steer on the hoof was a Limousin from Uralla High and the winning carcase an Angus cross from Tenterfield High, scoring 87/100 points with an EMA of 88sqcm.