Palgrove flexes its weight gain muscle

The well-known seedstock producer from Dalveen in Queensland's Granite Belt won the 100-day hormone growth promotant free class with a pen of six Charolais and Ultrablack steers which recorded an average daily weight gain of 2.245kg. One of those steers claimed the highest individual weight gain, notching up an ADG of 2.550kg.

Palgrove also took out the 100 day export class with steers, some straight Charolais and some Ultrablack crosses, that averaged 2.773kg/day.

It was a particularly sweet victory for the long-time Paddock to Palate competitor, who despite being the overall champion for three years in a row, had not featured in the weight gain section's first place getters for some time.

The company's business development and genetics manager Ben Noller said the win confirmed Palgrove genetics had the ability to produce animals that would perform in a feedlot.

One of the country's trailblazing Charolais breeders 50 years ago, Palgrove in recent years has also pioneered the development of the Ultrablack as a direct response to client requests for a suitable third breed for use in Charolais/Brahman crossbreeding programs.

The Angus/Brangus fixed composite retains the meat quality and fertility of the Angus breed but has the heat tolerance and survivability built in from the Brangus genetics.

The steers for this year's competition, picked by eye on type, were on pasture with no supplementary feeding before going into JBS Beef City Feedlot.

"We have been entering this competition since it started because it allows us to benchmark against a lot of high-profile commercial and stud breeders and see where our genetics fit within the industry and within specific programs like 70-day and 100-day fed and HGP and HGP-free," he said.

"These are exactly where our clients are breeding into.

"So being successful here gives our clients the confidence these genetics can deliver the performance they need to make their businesses profitable."

The standard of competition was red hot this year, with officials having to dig three decimal places deep in the daily weight gain results to come up with winners in some classes, RNA commercial cattle councillor Gary Noller said.

Overall, the 574 head in the competition fed at Beef City consumed 804,230 kilograms of feed to gain 114,060 kilograms of beef, JBS farm and feedlot manager Sean Sturgess said.

Palgrove's Mr Noller said there was certainly a strong positivity within the beef industry, and Australian agriculture in general, at the moment and a sentiment that things have been as good as they are now.

"Lower interest rates, high cattle prices, one of best winters we've had for a long time, combined with the way the beef industry has come out of COVID and the investment we are seeing in agriculture has given plenty of fuel for optimism," he said.

"As people rebuild their herds, they are willing to spend on better genetics to capitalise on that optimism.

"The record prices for commercial cattle are flowing through to bull sales and over the years time and time again producers have found that investing in better bulls, and ones that will suit their operation and environment best, delivers."