Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial 2024: Reserve Champion Riverine Beef Pen win for Oberon butchers

The four brothers won the award with a total of 725 points out of 1000 with a team of five Angus steers.

They also placed second in the eating quality medals with another pen of Angus steers scoring a MSA index of 65.08, only to be beaten by Dean and Alison Skinner, Big Springs, with an MSA index of 65.66.

The reserve champion team recorded all five steers qualifying for the top brand Riverine Premium Beef, with three of the bodies receiving a marble score two and the other two a marble score three.

They also recorded an average carcase weight of 346.9 kilograms, with a top dressing percentage of 55.1 per cent and an average of 52.92pc.

The highest eye muscle area within the winning team recorded was 87 centimetres squared, to be closely followed behind with another one measuring 86cm squared.

Overall the winning team placed 24th out of the 91 teams in the trial.

As for the second placed eating quality team, all bar one carcase made the top brand in the trial, while all bodies received the full five points for meat colour.

Two out of the five carcases recorded a marble score of four, with another two recording a marble score three and the other a marble score one.

The average P8 fat measured on the carcases was 13.4 millimetres, with the team placing 63^rd overall.

Sunny Point Pastoral principal, Ian Mawhood said he was very happy with the results, especially being all carcase related.

The family run a 700 cow self-replacing Angus herd, consisting of Bongongo and Millah Murrah Angus bloodlines, with the target market for their steers being their own IGA supermarkets throughout central western NSW.

Meaning the steers are normally turned off at a live weight of 450 to 480 kilograms liveweight from the grassfed operation, for a 250kg carcase.

In 2010 after purchasing a neighbours herd, the family started supplying two bodies a fortnight throughout their supermarkets, but now are supplying 12 steers a week to Cowra Meat Processors, distributing the beef through Barkers Butchery, Oberon, then to IGA Oberon.

As well as the IGA supermarkets in Cootamundra and Grenfell, Chamens SUPA IGA, Condobolin and two IGA's in Bathurst.

Sunny Point Pastoral principal Ian Mawhood, said the difference with the trial as to their normal program is the weight the cattle were going into the trial is normally the weight they are killed for the butchers shops.

The family first entered a team with some of their mothers cattle in 2012, then also winning a carcase award.

"It showed that we can still take them through the feedlot and have them finish with high quality carcases," Mr Mawhood said.

"Because we're breeding and supplying the steers in our own program, we haven't had the numbers to put into the trail.

"Last year because we've hit full breeder numbers, we were able to send some into the trial and benchmark against some of the leading breeders in the country."

Mr Mawhood said the steers were selected in July when drafting out steers for their own kill program, aiming to be in the heavier end of the entry specifications of the trial.

"The main functionality of the herd is to make sure that you have good breeders and the steers will follow on from there," Mr Mawhood said.

"By having the participating in these feedback trials and entering into the Royal Fine Food Show and getting bronze medal for last three years, hopefully it will value add the brand.

"And also give further recognition for the butchers that are using our product to strengthen their business as well.

"Because we don't put a lot of steers into the feedlot was always going to be interesting to see how they performed and they've performed well within the trial average.

"Which indicates that the whole herd should be doing a similar thing if we didn't have to go down the feedlot perspective."