GELBVIEH and Charolais stars caught the judge's eye in the Beef Australia 2006 interbreed competition. Queensland Country Life found this report originally titled, Gelbvieh, Charolais share glory, in the archives.
THE Beef 2006 interbreed gave Steve Hayward a double triumph, the Duke family a taste of victory, and made Michael Jackson’s dream come true.
Announced at the Rockhampton Showground last Friday night before a capacity crowd, the interbreed championships were the culmination of two days of stud cattle judging.
With more than 2400 nominations and 34 breeds on show, there could only be two winners – and this year the female sash went to the Charolais female Advance Liberty Y73, owned by Beverly and Danny Duke, Allora, while the Gelbvieh breed claimed its second-ever Beef Australia interbreed trophy with Guyra breeder Michael Jackson’s exhibit Double J Zulu.
In a break from the Beef Australia tradition of using a multi-judge system of determining the interbreed female and bull, this year a sole judge – cattleman Brett Nobbs, of Inverrio, Duaringa – was given the difficult task of selecting two cattle worthy of the title.
Mr Nobbs said he was looking for exhibits that stood out in their breed, and were animals that could perform well in a commercial setting. In justifying his decision, Mr Nobbs said Advance Liberty Y73 was an exceptional animal in a quality class of cows, while he described Double J Zulu as a beautifully long bull at 23 months of age, with outstanding conformation.
Steve Hayward, Advance Charolais Stud, Allora, proved to be the important link between the two honours.
As well as breeding the 28-month-old Charolais female and exhibiting her on the night for the Dukes, Mr Hayward also prepared the interbreed bull for the Jacksons through his Advance Fitting Service.
Mr Jackson, who operates Jackson’s Livestock and Property with offices in Guyra and Armidale, as well as the recently-opened Dorrigo Livestock and Real Estate, breeds Gelbvieh and Charolais cattle at Double J Stud on his Guyra property, Bierton.
The Jacksons have sent show cattle to Mr Hayward for five years.
One of the initial importers of Gelbvieh genetics, Mr Jackson said he loved the breed for its dual purpose, and consequent improved marketability.
“All I have ever wanted to do was win an interbreed at Beef Australia - so that’ll do me now. I was just happy for him to be selected in the top six, and I couldn’t look while Brett was choosing the final bull,” he said.
“I’ve never even had a champion at Beef before, so to come here with just three head of cattle and take home the interbreed is unbelievable.”
Mr Jackson said Double J Zulu’s conformation was one of the bull’s strongest points, with an EMA of 139sq cm on his 1048kg frame. The bull, which earlier in the day was sashed senior Gelbvieh male, had a fat scan of 9/8 with a scrotal circumference of 45cm.
Double J Zulu is by Norolle Absolute Power, a past interbreed champion at the Brisbane RNA, while his dam, Double J Vanity V76, is a foundation cow at the Jacksons’ stud.
And when it comes to a bargain, Elwyn Rea, Edengarry, Kunwarara, was certainly in the right place at the right time when he purchased a halfshare in Zulu last year for $8000.
“The price has gone up,” was the assurance from Mr Jackson, who has retained marketing rights. He said there had been a lot of international interest in the bull during Beef 2006.
When the interbreed female Advance Liberty Y73 calved six weeks ago, Steve Hayward knew she was a cow capable of winning a major title.
With her volume and femininity, he believed she was an impressive animal and one that could help him achieve his dream of winning an interbreed ribbon with a cow he had bred.
It was also the first major win for owners Beverly and Danny Duke, Allora, who bought Advance Liberty Y73 at four months of age to start their Charolais herd. The Dukes run a select herd of 25 Charolais cows, and Mr Hayward said he was pleased they could enjoy such a win early on.
The 28-month-old cow was sired by Gunnadoo Voodoo from Harleywood R13E and was shown with an impressive six-week-old bull calf at foot.
She had previously been sashed senior champion Charolais female – a win which Mrs Duke had been “more than happy with”.
Although Charolais nominations were about 140, the Gelbvieh lineup at Beef 2006 had just 10 exhibits, proving that quality stands out despite the class size.