2022 NSW Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial: Trends show marble and brand boost

However there is a growing variation in profitability of teams, and meeting the optimum carcase weights continue to be a challenge.

For the second consecutive year, the trial was again hormone growth promotant (HGP) free and there was no P8 fat measurement taken at induction due to COVID-19.

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Trial analyst Jeff House of Jeff House Livestock, Forbes, said the feedlot entry weight specifications were 360 kilograms to 480 kilograms. Steers weighed on average 430kg at induction and ranged from 260kg to 514kg.

"You will see 88 per cent of the cattle fell between that," Mr House said.

"There was a 4pc under at entry and there were 8pc that went over.

Despite the strength of the season, the 2022 trial overall entry weights were lower which Mr House said was surprising.

"I expected the cattle to go on a little bit heavier... but the spread is similar to last year," he said.

Eleven teams had points deducted from not completing their National Vendor Declaration (NVD) that accompanied the steers on arrival correctly.

It is important because the NVD is the only information that goes with the animals when they sold, Mr House said.

"Unfortunately for one team in the top 10 in cost them big time - 25 points.

"They are simply things being missed... the total number of cattle, answering questions - simple errors but it is a legal document that can only be changed by the person that filled it in to start with.

"We will keep penalising people every year because it is something simple that we need people to right, not just in this trial, but every day of the week for the beef industry."

Steers had an average weight gain of 1.69 kilograms per head per day, which is on par with last year.

"Some animals in the trial gained less than 0.8kg/hd/day and others, without a HGP, were still gaining at better than 2.4kg/hd/day," Mr House said.

"Most are sitting around the 1.4 to 1.8kg/hd/day range."

Entrants were reminded that the 2022 weight gains can only be compared to 2021 as prior to that the trial included HGPs.

"2022 and 2021 the weight gains came back significantly from the last 10 years and that is because we took the HGP out," he said. "It is a direct impact of the HGP not going into these cattle.

"Our performance this year was similar to 2021, but with a slightly bigger spread."

More cattle fell into the broad carcase specifications of 330-420 kilograms hot standard carcase weight (HSCW) with 10-32 millimetres P8 fat.

"We had 59pc of the cattle fall into the broad box, receiving points for carcase weight and P8 fat," he said.

"6pc of the cattle fell into the optimum specifications of a 370-400kg carcase.

"Quite a large number of the cattle are under (carcase) weight but it is a challenge to try and hit that carcase weight without a HGP - it is having an impact.

"But when you look at carcase weight over the long term, even with HGPs we were falling well-short for a number of years with our mean (carcase) weight.

"The average is sitting a bit below the optimum, but it is a fraction higher than last year which is good to see."

Mr House said it is a challenge to put cattle into the feedlot heavier, and still get them to grow well to get to the desired carcase weights.

"It is not an easy task, there are a lot of really good producers in this room and they are trying to make that work," he said.

There was again a big variation in lean meat yield (LMY) from 51-63pc with the average of 56.6pc slightly better than 2021.

The average MSA Index was 62.8 with the variation from 0 (or ungraded) to 68.

"To put it into perspective, with the latest MSA report from 2017-19, that average of 62.8 would put these cattle well and truly in the top 10pc of all cattle in terms of MSA Index," he said.

"The highest scoring team of five animals almost in the top 1pc, and the highest scoring animal in the trial would be pretty much off the scale, so far in the top 1pc it is phenomenal.

Mr House said MSA Index is where really big improvements have been made, and that is where the positives of taking the HGP out can be seen.

"HGPs are impacting weight gain and carcase weight, but we are getting five points higher in our MSA Index because we don't have a HGP," he said.

"We are seeing those advantages in eating quality from not having that HGP.

"There is real conundrums there from a producer point of view, but also from the feedlots point of view in terms of the markets they are trying to hit, what they are trying to do on a day-to-day basis with high quality beef between yield and performance in those cattle verses eating quality - there are trade offs which make it really difficult."

Marbling has been steadily increasing the entire way through the trial, with the 2022 steers having an average AUS-MEAT marble score of 1.7 or 401 MSA marble score.

"From looking back at the data that is the highest MSA marble score we have ever had," he said.

"Last year we had a couple of Wagyu cross cattle and there might have been higher marble scores, but the average has been going up right the way through."

Mr House said this increase in marble score has led to more carcases meeting the target brand of the competition which requires a minimum marble score of two.

This year 59pc of the cattle reached the Riverine Premium Beef brand specifications, up from 47pc in 2021.

"That is by far the highest number we have ever had in the trial," Mr House said. "A few years ago we had 25-30pc of the cattle making the brand."

Animals meeting the Teys Certified Black Angus brand specification remained unchanged at 11pc, while 29pc went into the Riverine Classic Beef brand, down from 44pc last year, and only a small percentage didn't grade.

"It is the best performance we have had in the trial in terms of hitting those brands," he said.

"Congratulations to the exhibitors in terms of that progression of cattle into meeting brands - it has been fantastic."

Mr House said the profit and loss of the trial "blew out this year".

There was a $5760 variation in team profit, or $1150 per head, from the most to least profitable team. This was significantly up from the $4080 per team, or $815/hd, profitability variation in 2021.

"The most profitable team is almost $1400 above average, but the least profitable team had lost the feedlot over $4000 as a team of five animals," he said.

"Most the teams at the bottom end have generally lost an animal.

"With high cattle prices the variation in profits has blown out further."

A challenge in industry, that I don't think we will ever solve, is the variation of performance of animals in the feedlot, variation of performance as a carcase all contributes to this but there is an enormous amount of variation that as an industry we want to tidy up.

In reality as prices go up, it has probably blown out further.

In terms of health this year, the cattle performed well in the feedlot with health treatments significantly lower this year.

However seven steers died with unfortunately some being from the same team.

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