All entries for Beef Australia's National Beef Carcase Competition are officially on the hook and fourth time committee chair, David Hill, is looking forward to May.
With extensive knowledge and experience in the field, Mr Hill, alongside his family, operate a breeding and fattening operation in the Clarke Creek district, targeting EU and MSA markets.
Having always taken an interest in the supply chain, Mr Hill has been actively involved in the CQ Carcase Comp since its inception, but was "somewhat reluctant" when approached to become involved in Beef's carcase competition prior to the 2012 event.
"I joined the Beef Australia National Beef Carcase Competition committee as chairman after Blair Angus, who was on the board at the time, asked me if I would be interested and have remained chairman since", Mr Hill said.
"I already had a bit of involvement with the competition and the people at MSA and MLA before my time working for Cattle Council Australia.
"We've changed things up a bit this time by adding an open class that has unrestricted feeding designed for that really high end grain fed product we see in the Wagyu - I think it will be interesting to see what comes of that.
"We're also using the Masterbeef camera [to judge the carcases] for the second time around; the first time we used it was at Beef 2021.
"Whilst it would be ideal to see Janine Lau judge the carcase competition as she has done for many years previously, it just isn't feasible for her anymore.
"The Masterbeef camera also allows us to ensure some consistency across the competition to maintain the integrity and give every exhibitor an equitable competition."
Mr Hill explained that the last round of processing was finalised in February, with 24 plants across the country involved in this year's competition.
"We've tried to extend it out from June until February to accommodate the different production systems and seasons across the country," he said.
"Seasonal conditions always have an impact on the success of this competition. To have good competitive cattle you've got to have a few good seasons on them and that's the challenge, especially in Northern Australia."
One of the things that Mr Hill is most proud of throughout his involvement with carcase competitions is exceeding expectations with a tremendous northern grass fed product.
The overarching goal for Mr Hill within his role as chairman is to maintain the industry's high standards and increase the quality of the eating experience of the beef product on a national level.
"Beef's National Carcase Competition is an opportunity for producers to benchmark themselves against everyone in the country. It's not necessarily about winning, but more so about the shared passion and comradery of it all," he said.
