The Goodland family’s pen of heavy feeder steers have won this year’s Burnett Livestock All Breeds Steer Show and Sale.
Held at Biggenden Saleyards, the competition and sale attracted good numbers of cattle with over 50 steer pen entries judged and a total of 1700 head yarded for the commercial cattle sale.
Alan and father Neil Goodland, Clare Grazing, Clare, Theodore won Grand Champion Pen of the All Breeds Steer Show on Thursday with a line of Charolais-infused heavy feeder steers
Mr Goodland said the pen of 10 steers were selected from a mob of 40 head that had been on an oats crop as weaners, then leucaena to be grown out.
“They are steers out of our Brahman cows by Charolais bulls,” Mr Goodland said.
The Goodland family had previously entered steers in the Biggenden competition two years ago and won the Charolais breed section of the steer show.
“It's a great competition to benchmark how our cattle operation is travelling and to see how well our breeding program is working compared to other commercial cattle enterprises,” Mr Goodland said.
“We’ve had a very mixed season so far but the rain event last weekend brought 100 millimetres across our properties.”
The Goodland’s champion pen of steers sold to 282c/kg to weigh 490kg to return $1382/head during the Biggenden sale held after the steer show.
Burnett All Breeds Steer Show and Sale judge Lindsay Anderson, Proston said it was an outstanding yarding of cattle.
“It’s hard to get a consistent pen of good quality steers and it’s a credit to all the exhibitors for presenting such tidy lines of cattle,” Mr Anderson said.
“The grand champion pen of Goodland steers had excellent weight of age, quite temperament and were also a very even line of cattle with great presentation.”
Overall, section breed winners were; Santa Gertrudis – Hatton & Sons, Old Rawbelle, Monto who’s EU Santa steers sold to 285c/kg for 488kg to return $1394/head, Brahman – the Allan family, Argyll, Mundubbera who’s EU Red Brahman steers sold to 284c/kg, Simmental – the Preston family, Rosemount, Eidsvold who’s Simbrah steers sold to 287c/kg, Angus – Melanie Griffiths and Paul Lavaring, Brooklyn, Theodore who’s Angus steers sold to 314c/kg for 402kg to return $1263/head, Droughtmaster – Trevor Gordon Holdings, Wyroona, Aranbanga who’s Droughtmaster steers sold to 289c/kg.
Burnett Livestock & Reality director Lance Whitaker said it was a solid sale with prices remaining firm to dearer.
“The good quality feeder steers were slight dearer during the sale, while well presented weaner steers sold to a top of 360c to 370c/kg,” Mr Whitaker said.
“The rain last weekend certainly turned the cattle market around and slightly lifted prices.
“I’m very happy to have had the rain just before our Biggenden sale and glad the vendors are receiving slightly better cattle prices.”