THE Royal Queensland Show led steer and heifer competition has been rated arguably the best of its kind in Australia and the exhibition this year looks like upholding that claim.
The response from stud and commercial cattle breeders with 378 head has matched last year's, described by show officials as an amazing effort considering widespread drought conditions and depressed market prices.
Classes cover both live and carcase categories, a schools competition, an interbreed point score for teams of three that has been won by the Limousin breed for the past five years.
The program, certain to interest all 'tastes' in the red meat industry, starts on Monday, August 4, with the first of the schools events. All open classes for led steers will be judged on Wednesday, August 6, and the winner of the paddock to palate contest will be announced after the Champion of Champions pair of stud beef animals is adjudicated in the main arena on Friday, August 8.
The champion junior led steer judged on the Tuesday will face open steer competition the next day against winners of the light, medium and heavyweight classes for grand champion led steer of the show.
Judge of the light and medium-weight led steers, Angus stud breeder and opportunity feedlot operator, Tim Vincent, Gunnedah, will be looking for a properly finished animal when he steps back into the judging arena for the first time in over 20 years at the Ekka.
Mr Vincent, who uses home-grown cereal crops to finish off steers for the heavy domestic market, said he would err on the side of more rather than less condition on trade cattle. Kill sheets on cattle from his feedlot indicated an animal with a surplus of fat could still finish well and mean a more marketable article.
Mr Vincent agreed Brisbane could lay claim to be the number one steer show in Australia and judging there would be a challenge he was looking forward to.
Livestock buyer for Hunter Valley Quality Meats at Scone, Chris Dobie, who will handle the heavyweight steers, will also have meat yield, softness, evenness and quality in his sights come judging day.
Mr Dobie travels extensively in Queensland and NSW sourcing cattle for the company's abattoir which currently processes 1100 cattle daily for domestic and export markets.
"When I buy I am persuaded by the MSA (Meat Standards of Australia) grading system and then I can see at the abattoir the same cattle as carcases. We see an array of cattle, so I am looking forward to Brisbane," he said.