A new entrant to the 2024 Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial, Waralla Farming, Tumbarumba, has received seventh place in the eating quality medals with an MSA Index of 64.53.
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With a team of five Angus steers, three carcases qualified for the Riverine Premium Beef brand with a marble score two, while the other two were classified into the Teys Certified Premium Black Angus brand.
The team recorded an average lean meat yield of 55.9 per cent.
The highest eye muscle area recorded in the team was 88 centimetres squared, while the highest P8 fat measurement was 11 millimetres.
The 728-hectare operation has been rebuilding their female numbers since the New Years Day fires in 2020.
The base female herd were Koojan Hills Angus genetics from Manypeaks, near Albany, Western Australia, with a recent addition of Bongongo and Lawson Angus bloodlines.
Waralla Farming principal Nigel Clarke said he found the results of the trial very interesting and the feedback would be useful in decision making moving forward.
"We benchmark our business financially but we haven't really looked at benchmarking our genetics against industry peers," Mr Clarke said.
"We're targeting that feedlot market, so we're looking for that information to see how we sit with our industry peers in terms of feedlot performance.
"I think it will help us evaluate decisions in terms of investment in genetics.
"Certainly a strong focus on above average growth 400-day estimated breeding values, which is what we have been doing.
Mr Clarke said the operation had made some genetic changes over the past few years.
When selecting steers for the trial he avoided targeting individual animals and instead opted for a cross section of the herd.
The trial was a tool to help understand how their cattle were performing.
"Our key market is the feedlots, as much as we do get our individual feedback back from our regular feedlot, you don't get information relative to other industry peers," he said.
"Unless you measure you don't know where you are really.
"It's nice to be recognised there in terms of the MSA indexing.
"That's pleasing but I think if you have a look at the broader parts of the trial, particularly the feed lot performance feed back is invaluable for us going forward."
