HAYDON Beattie has taken top honours in the Queensland Royal Show's modified Led Steer competition, securing the Woolworths Grand Champion Carcase award.
Mr Beattie, aged 16 from Glamorgan Vale in the Lockyer Valley, exhibited a Limousin-cross to also have his name engraved on the coveted Ken Crotty OAM Perpetual Trophy.
The winning 271.4kg carcase yielded 64.96 per cent and had 5mm at the P8, 4mm of fat at the rib, an impressive 102 square centimetre eye muscle area.
His carcase was earlier named the Woolworths Champion Mediumweight Carcase, ahead of the McUtchen family's South Devon-cross entry from Jandowae.
The Beattie carcase sold to the Breakfast Creek Hotel, Newstead, for $20/kg dressed to return $5428 on a Stocklive online auction on Monday afternoon. Woolworths was the losing bidder.
It was an extremely close competition with both the champion and reserve champion scoring 86 points. The overall winner was detemined by the meat yield percentage, in this case just a 1.13pc difference.
The McUtchen's 257.8kg entry had 7mm P8 and 4mm rib fat measurements.
In the lightweight category the SSF Melrose Memorial Trophy supported by the Australian Meat Industry Council went to a Limousin-cross exhibited by MK Cattle and EJ Goody.
The wining 197.4kg lightweight carcase yielded 66.6pc, 5mm of fat at the P8, and 4mm at the rib.
Reserve champion lightweight was a Limousin from Luke Cox and Emily Kahler, Glamorgan Vale.
Limousins also figured strongly in the heavyweights. The Barry Conroy Memorial Trophy went to Ben, Philip and Elizabeth Wieland, Alfred Creek Shorthorns, Boonah.
The 378.6kg carcase was produced after 120 days on grain, resulting in 60.91pc yield, 8mm P8 fat, 9mm rib fat, and a 114sq cm EMA.
It was a first time win in the heavyweight section for the Wielands.
Reserve champion heavyweight was also a Limousin, this time from Peter and Pauline Grant, The Downfall Limousins, Stanthorpe.
As a result of Covid-19 restrictions, the popular led steer competition was limited to a carcase competition.
There were also plenty of excellent entries in the junior led classes.
The King Street junior champion steer winner was an outstanding 225.2kg Speckle Park-cross carcase from Scots PGC College. The carcase yielded 62.92pc, had a 75sq cm EMA, dual 6mm measurements.
The reserve champion junior steer was a Limousin-cross from Emily Weber, Peak Crossing.
The King Street junior champion heifer was a Charolais-cross, exhibited by Scott Davenport, Biddaddaba, which scored the top points of the competition. The 215.6kg carcase yielded 66.23pc backed by 8mm at the P8, 6mm at the rib, and a 91sq cm EMA.
The reserve champion junior heifer was a Charolais from Haydon Beattie.
All of the 110 in this year's Ekka competition led steers were processed at Nolan Meats, Gympie.
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