Inglewood Props enjoy grand win in colossal carcase competition

At the 2020-2021 presentation dinner in Naracoorte last Friday night, one of their two-year-old steers claimed the top gong, scoring a remarkable 95.49 points from a possible 100 points.

These points are allocated for meeting market specifications, saleable meat yield and eating quality.

The 383.6 kilogram carcase had an eye muscle area of 101 square centimetres and MSA marble score of 820 - significantly more than the competition's average MSA score of 377.

RELATED: Grand win for Baylys in 2020 Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic

Inglewood Props' win in the largest annual beef carcase competition in the Southern Hemisphere came from 1354 steers and heifers processed at Teys Australia's Naracoorte abattoir.

The competition's delivery period was between early October 2020 and late February 2021.

Another carcase in their same consignment of 60 Shorthorn steers, delivered in mid October last year, had the equal highest Meat Standards Australia eating quality score, 67.7 points.

They shared this award and the Alan Kranz Memorial Trophy with Angus breeders, the Wooding family, Penola, who also scored 67.7 points with a Sterita Park-blood Angus steer.

The Inglis family continued their midas touch also winning the highest aggregate team of three animals and placing third in the team of 10 class.

Mr Inglis said they had been "around the mark" since first entering the SGCC four years ago but the return to favourable seasons on their pastoral property, Wirraminna Station, near Glendambo, had helped them reach the next level.

The Inglis family aim to breed most of their cattle on Wirraminna and then take the weaners south to their home base at Crystal Brook to grow them out and finish them on barley-vetch pastures.

However a run of dry years until 2020 had forced them to drop their numbers from 2500-3000 head to about 1200 and increase the stocking rates at their southern property.

"The previous years have been really dry at the station (105mm in 2018 and 2019) so we have had a lot of cattle at Crystal Brook and had found it hard to get them with enough shape for slaughter off grass," he said.

"Last year we had double our average annual rainfall on the station so we had less cattle at Crystal Brook and we were able to hold them longer," he said.

Inglewood Props are now focussing on rebuilding their herd.

"There is always room for improvement but we are pretty happy with where our cattle are at," Mr Inglis said.

He said they had been breeding Shorthorn cattle for decades and remain impressed by the breed's maternal attributes, docility and doing ability.

"Our main emphasis has been selecting nice, soft skinned bulls with good feet, good temperament and structurally sound," he said.

"Eye muscle area and marbling does come into it but we know Shorthorns are already good for these traits."

Mr Inglis said another big motivation for entering the SGCC was the chance to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service, with 1pc of the proceeds of all entries donated to the life-saving cause.

"We have had to use them (RFDS) on the station once which luckily ended up being a good outcome, you never know when we might need them again," he said.

Reserve champion carcase in the SGCC was awarded to the Hurst family's Lake Hawdon Props, Robe, with a March 2019 drop, Angus-Shorthorn steer which scored 94.89 points.

The Giles family, Crower Partners, Avenue Range, came up trumps for the highest aggregate points for 10 individual carcases, each averaging 90.25 points.

The Angus breeders who have entered 12 of the 13 competitions said the feedback had helped them in genetic selection, increasing their bull buying budget from their early days and selecting bulls at least breed average for traits such as eye muscle area and marbling.

This approach has paid off for them, winning the eating quality award at least four times and also a previous grand champion.

"It can be a slow process to change a cow herd but it is starting to pay off, we have a more even smattering now in our kill sheets," Crower Partners' Rohan Giles said.

"When we see a kill sheet now we are pretty confident there will be a bit of marbling in them and we are trying to put more eye muscle area in without needing a Simmie cross."

The most improved entrant, who raised their aggregate score by 117.76 points from the previous year, was James Darling, Landscape Beef, Keith, SA.

SGCC chairman Ben Glatz said it had been extremely satisfying to share the 13^th annual presentation dinner with entrants, sponsors and the committee in a year that had seen the competition eclipse previous events in some many ways.

This included the largest donation handed over to the RFDS, a cheque for $40,000 and the highest scoring carcases in the competition's history.

"The benefits for cattle breeders involved in this colossal event are endless and the satisfaction of playing a part in such a significant financial contribution to the RFDS is a true feeling of giving," he said.

"There would not have been anyone in the room who couldn't personally relate to the critical services of the RFDS whether it had been for themselves,a family member or someone they know."

Mr Glatz said many of the long-term supporters of the SGCC had endorsed the benefits of receiving such comprehensive carcase and performance feedback for their cattle, especially when benchmarked against other consignments.

"This format has highlighted to them some specific traits which have room for improvement and genetic selection for the identified shortfalls has seen significant advances in such areas as one particular entrant explained on the night," he said.

This year's entries had a big lift in average MSA index of 61.77, compared to 60.42 points in 2019-2020 and were slightly heavier with an average carcaseweight of 325kg compared to 322kg in the previous year.

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