Queenslander Janet Reddan makes the finals

Janet is now busily packing her bags to fly to Auckland later this month to face the judge panel to reduce the finalists down to three.

When Queensland Country Life  caught up with Janet on Tuesday she said she was absolutely thrilled to be a finalist.

“I feel absolutely privileged to be the only Queenslander,” Janet said. 

Janet aged 33, and a mother of three children, Clayton eight, Patrick six and Katie four is AgForce Southern Inland Queensland cattle board director.

Along with her husband Don, they run the family’s Lookout Feedlot.

Working in partnership with parents Mick and Jenny, the couple also manage their breeder block, 8500ha Lucknow Downs, 90km south of Roma.

They began building the feedlot in 2009 and have expanded it gradually to its current size, accredited to 999 head.

The family runs Santa Gertrudis breeders on Lucknow Downs and brings the progeny to Point Lookout as weaners, where they are usually backgrounded on oats before entering the feedlot.

Targeting the Japanese export market, steers and heifers are fed for 100 days, while cast-for-age cows are generally fed for 60 days. Finished animals are offloaded to processors at Dinmore or Kilcoy.

The shortlisted three finalists will be announced towards the end of the year and the winner of the Zander McDonald Award will be announced in March next year.