While entrants in the Gympie Carcase Classic (GCC) are committed to the personal challenge of pitting their cattle against various other breeds for the sake of feedback, the temptation of taking home a standout award can not be denied.
Among a myriad of prizes on offer at the 2016 event, two were particularly highly sought after- the most suitable carcase for the domestic market and the Charlie Cotter allrounder.
The late Charlie Cotter played an integral role in the inception of the GCC and the award was created in his memory in 1997.
To win the now prestigious Charlie Cotter allrounder entries must have the highest points in the allrounder scoring- a combination of feedlot performance or percentage weight gain, carcase points and overall profitability, as well as meeting the Nolan Meats specifications.
With a total of five head entered in the 2016 competition, Doug and Hayden Pratt, Chatsworth, proved their cattle stand up among the best when they were named winners of the Charlie Cotter allrounder.
Hayden Pratt said he did not expect such success and was proud of his cattle.
“This is our third year entering the competition but it’s the first time we’ve done any good,” he said.
“I believe the backgrounding aspect introduced this year went a long way towards increasing weight gains, but we selected cattle with more muscling to start with and that also had good results.”
The Pratt family’s winning Limousin heifer had an initial feedlot weight of 284kg and a final weight of 406kg for a weight gain of 43 per cent.
The heifer had an eye muscle area of 108 square centimetres, a P8 fat depth of five millimetres and a marbling score of one.
Mr Pratt said the award would be treasured for years to come as a display of their hard work and dedication to producing top quality beef.
Charlie Cotter’s wife Jan congratulated the organising committee on a job well done along with the award winners and said their achievement was not easy.
“The committee’s decisions to bring in any changes thought to improve the competition have been well received,” she said.
“I know the inclusion of the high schools and their students would be very important to Charlie as education was a major aim of the competition to him.
“There is always something to learn from a competition of this nature. I believe the introduction of backgrounding has had an extremely positive outcome overall and while a few cattle were overweight, it’s another aspect to learn from.”
Brian and Lyn Thompson, Mt Urah, were awarded the prize for the most suitable carcase for the domestic market.
The Hereford Droughtmaster cross steer weighed 464kg after 86 days with an eye muscle area of 95 and a dressing percentage of 58.
Mr Thompson said he was extremely surprised by the win.
“I only entered this competition to see how my cattle went in comparison but the best thing we got out of it is by far the friendships and I hope it continues.”