With a hefty total prize pool of $100,000 up for grabs, Simmental breeders from across the country gathered their best steers for the 2022 Sydney Royal Show steer section.
A total of 45 purebred Simmental steers were judged in a stand-alone breed event yesterday by successful steer breeder Don Riley, Oakvale Limousins, Tamworth, and it was an interstate animal that came away with the top accolade.
South Australian-based Jordan and Annie Palmer from Limitless Cattle Co, Mount Magnificent, exhibited the middleweight and overall grand champion Simmental steer, Limitless King of Hearts.
Weighing 534 kilograms, he measured 10 millimetres of rump fat and 8mm of rib fat at 13 months of age.
He was sired by BNR Mr Moment and out of Limitless Miss Hummer, and had been on feed since October on a ration based on Johnson's cattle booster pellets.
"When judging steers I looks back at what won the strongest class of the day, and today that was the middleweight champion steer," Mr Riley said.
For the top-title, the Palmers overcame stiff competition from the lightweight champion, VC Sailor Man, from Stuart and Samantha Moeck of Valley Creek Simmentals, Binda, and the heavyweight champion KBV Stirling from the KBV Simmental stud, Djuan, Qld.
Valley Creek's exhibit weighed 433kg with fats of 11mm and 7mm on the rump and rib, respectively.
Sired by CCR Cowboy Cut 5048 and out of Lancaster Libby L295, he was a twin-born calf that was raised as a 'poddy'. He was fed Quayle Milling Quality Livestock Nutrition pellets and steamed rolled barley, and was a rising 10-month-old.
The heavyweight champion from Queensland-based KBV Simmentals was 14 months of age and was by Silvendale Grampian and out of KBV Nubian Queen.
He was fed a custom KBV ration and has been in preparation since Novemeber, weighing 580kg with 15mm of rump fat and 10mm of rib fat at check-in on Wednesday.
The Impey family of Mala-Daki Simmentals, Loomberah, exhibited both the reserve lightweight steer and the reserve middleweight steer.
Mala-Daki Yoda, a 7.5-month-old, was the reserve lightweight. He was by RJY Shock N Awe out of a Mala-Daki Ferrari daughter, and weighed 400kg with 8mm and 7mm of rump and rib fat.
The reserve middleweight was Mala-Daki Sox, another son of Shock N Awe which was out of a Mala-Daki Amigo daughter. He was 12 months and weighed 495kg with 9mm and 8mm of rump and rib fat.
Both had been on feed since just prior to Christmas, and was on a ration the Impey's mixed themselves including hay, barley and Rumevite Feedlot 80.
Hobbs Livestock Screaming Impact exhibited by Stuart and Kylie Hobbs, Hobbs Livestock, Molong, was awarded reserve heavyweight champion steer.
Weighing 566kg with 13mm rump fat and 11mm rib fat, he was a 12-month-old son of BGS/BM Captain Scream 63D and Hobbs Livestock Honey Bee H003 which had been fed Quayle Milling pellets.
The Simmental Stanhill Trophy team was also selected and included; the grand and middleweight champion from Limitless Cattle Co, heavyweight champion from KBV Simmentals and the reserve middleweight champion from Mala-Daki Simmenetals. The reserve heavyweight champion from Hobbs Livestock is the reserve for the team.
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