It was a win that stems back into the 1990s for James and Georgie Knight, The Sisters Pastoral Company, The Sisters, near Mortlake, Victoria, at the 2024 Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial, on Friday night.
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The family run operation won the event receiving the titles of grand champion pen of five Angus steers and Teys Certified Premium Black Angus champion pen, with a total of 801.5 points out of a possible 1000.
The Sisters Pastoral Company also received the title of reserve champion pen for feedlot performance achieving 310 points out of 350, with the steers reaching a top of 2.56 kilograms average daily weight gain, only to have been five points behind the champion pen for feedlot performance, exhibited by Boco Pastoral Company, Nimmitabel.
As for the carcase data, the winning team averaged a MSA index of 62.72, with the highest index being 64.76 and the highest eye-muscle area in the team was 84 centimetres squared.
While all five of the steers scored a full 10 points on induction weight with an average of 404kg and then an exit weight average of 644.8kg, the team then scored again a full 20 points each for carcase weight, averaging 348.7kg per animal.
Two of the five steers qualified for the Riverine Premium Beef brand, meanwhile the other three made the Teys Certified Premium Black Angus brand.
Although this is the third time the family has won the feed back trial in 2017 and 2022 - which they have previously won trading as RG Allen and Sons - James Knight said he is over the moon winning the trial again for the third time.
"The aim of entering the feedlot trial to start with was to make sure that we were producing an article that met supply chain specifications and that we were producing a product that the next link in the supply chain could make money from," Mr Knight said.
"My father-in-law who we took over the business from has been really big on that, that we need to produce an article that everyone can add value to.
"We need to be long sighted and look past the farm gate as to what the market actually requires and who is trying to do what with it post farm gate."
"I just feel really happy for my father-in-law who started the Angus herd in the 90s and we took over the business in 2016."
"I'm just really grateful and happy for him that we've been able to maintain and keep improving on what he started."
The commercial 1600 Angus female operation values the trial as a physical bench marking exercise to demonstrate they are on track with their own breeding objectives, which are producing fertile, functional cattle with good growth and quality carcase traits.
As the business has grown significantly over the years the family have retained heifers within the herd, while the surplus heifers now are either sold to restocking buyers or join the steers which are destined for the feedlot market, being turned off within the live weight range of 400 to 500 kilograms.
Mr Knight said although the business is very commercial in nature, the family have recorded sire lines within the steers in the trial which are Glenavon Angus based, Wattle Top Angus and Murdeduke Angus have supplied bulls in the past, along with recording the age of the dam of each steer.
"Given the feedlot induction weight specifications for the trial in a high stocking rate, spring calving herd, we are not spoilt for choice for weaners at that time of the year to meet that 380 kilograms delivered," Mr Knight said.
"Therefore the steers that are selected have typically calved early or lead the age group and we just choose 10 steers that were close in a weight range specification, it's as simple as that.
"It needs to be a representative sample of the whole steer age drop."
Mr Knight said he was impressed with average daily weight gain of the steers, but was even more impressed with the carcase data.
"We're very clear on how average daily gain correlates to profit for the feedlot business." Mr Knight said.
"Therefore that's always a really important factor for us, average daily gain and obviously being supported by good carcase data is really important as well.
The family said the conditions in the past year had resulted in the best winter they have seen in southwest Victoria, with a bit of a drier spring and then receiving good rainfall in January, it has been business as usual for them.
The family run operation also entered a second team of Angus steers which placed 21st overall of the 91 teams entered.
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