Queensland family beef up with a triple win at RNA's Paddock to Palate competition presented by Mort & Co

Monday 18 June 2018

Christmas has come early for the Bassingthwaighte family from Wallumbilla in Queensland, with their Santa Gertrudis gifting them three wins in the first phase of the nation’s richest beef competition of its kind, at Grassdale Feedlot in Dalby this morning.

Alastair and Andrew Bassingthwaighte won both Class 37 100 day export and Class 38 70 day trade in the prestigious RNA Paddock to Palate Competition presented by Mort and Co, with their pens of six Santa Gertrudis recording average daily weight gains (ADG) of 3.118kg and 3.05kg respectively.

The awards didn’t stop there, with the father and son also claiming Class 38’s highest individual weight gain, with one of their cows weighing in with an ADG of 3.33kg.

Also sharing in the $46,000 prize money offered in the competition was Atkinson Pastoral Company, who took out Class 37’s highest individual weight gain for one of their Angus Droughtmaster X which tipped the scales with an ADG of 3.446kg.

Meanwhile in the Class 39 2017/18 Paddock to Palate Wagyu Challenge, Kuro Kin Wagyu based in Merriwa in New South Wales took out phase one, with their pen of six F1 Angus recording an ADG of 1.325kg.

Wentworth Cattle Company also went home with a ribbon and a ‘steak’ in the $10,000 Wagyu Challenge prize money, with their Wagyu F2+ winning Class 39’s highest individual weight gain with an ADG of 1.325kg.

RNA Beef Cattle Committee Chair Gary Noller said the Paddock to Palate Competition was an opportunity for some of the nation’s top beef producers to benchmark their genetics, with more than 1,000 head of cattle entered this year.

“The cattle are all fed together and processed together, so it takes a lot of the variability out of benchmarking,” he said.

“The Bassingthwaighte family have been involved in the Queensland beef industry since the 1950s, so it’s great to see them take home three ribbons - it’s well deserved.

“We were very happy with the weight gains this year, considering the difficult climatic conditions experienced during the feedlot phase with the heat and dust.”

Both the Paddock to Palate Competition and Wagyu Challenge now move from weight gain to the second phase - a carcass competition.

The Paddock to Palate Competition is three phased comprising best aggregate weight gain over 100 days (70 days for trade); a carcass competition and an MSA eating quality competition, while the 2017/18 Wagyu Challenge is four phased comprising best aggregate weight gain over 370 days; a carcass competition; carcass value and finishing in a beef taste off. The cattle entered in the 2018/19 Wagyu Challenge are currently in the feedlot.

The exhibitors who poll the highest aggregate scores in Classes 37, 38 and 39 are then awarded the overall prizes at an awards presentation breakfast at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) on Friday 10 August.

Proud sponsors of the Paddock to Palate Competition include Mort & Co; JBS Australia; Zoetis; Elanco Animal Health; Rabobank; Grant Daniel & Long; Virbac; Super Butcher; Performance Feeds Pty Ltd; Thompson Longhorn; Queensland Country Life; Zee Tags and the Australian Wagyu Association.

RESULTS

Class 37 - Rabobank Best Weight Gain for Pen of Six Grain Fed Steers (100 Day)

1st - D & AD Bassingthwaighte - Santa Gertrudis - ADG 3.118 - Wallumbilla QLD

2nd - McIntyre Agricultural Company - Angus - ADG 3.103 - St George QLD

3rd - Galloway Cattle Company – Brangus/Hereford X - ADG 3.069 - Roma QLD

Class 37 - Zoetis Highest Individual Weight Gain

1st - Atkinson Pastoral Company - Angus Droughtmaster X - ADG 3.446 - Muttaburra QLD

Class 38 - Elanco Animal Health Best Weight Gain for Pen of Six Grain Fed Steers (70 Day)

1st - D & AD Bassingthwaighte - Santa Gertrudis - ADG 3.05 - Wallumbilla QLD
2nd - Yulgilbar Pastoral Company - Santa Gertrudis - ADG 2.86 - Baryulgil NSW
3rd - Dalara Pastoral Operations - Angus - ADG 2.82 - Coolum Beach QLD

Class 38 - Elanco Animal Health Highest Individual Weight Gain

1st - D & AD Bassingthwaighte - Santa Gertrudis - ADG 3.33 - Wallumbilla QLD

Class 39 (Wagyu Challenge) - Zoetis Best Weight Gain for Pen of Six Grain Fed Wagyu Steers

1st - Kuro Kin Wagyu - F1 Angus - ADG 1.156 - Merriwa NSW
2nd - JE Hayden and Tom Kirkness - F1 Angus - ADG 1.113 - Glen Innes NSW
3rd - Wentworth Cattle Company - Wagyu F2+ - ADG 1.073 - Clermont QLD

Class 39 (Wagyu Challenge) - Performance Feeds Highest Individual Weight Gain

1st - Wentworth Cattle Company - Wagyu F2+ - ADG 1.325 - Clermont QLD