The Beef Spectacular Feedlot Trial has turned out fantastic results for Angus breeders yet again in it’s fourth year.

Certified Australian Angus Beef (CAAB) is proud to be the major Sponsor of the Beef Spectacular Trial run by The Land Newspaper. The trial has just completed its fourth year and goes from strength to strength with some 380 entries in the 2012 induction. The trial is open to all breeds and provides all entrants with comprehensive feedback on their own cattle as well as all other teams in the trial allowing for a benchmarking opportunity second to none.

The awards presentation night recently held at Cache Restaurant and Function Centre in Wagga Wagga on Friday February 1^st  could be likened to The Logies for cattle. From the time the guests arrived their was a buzz in the room and everyone was guessing how their teams may have went throughout the trial, with most team nominees having visited the feedlot and viewed their teams after the cattle had been in feed for 80 days.

The trial is open to all breeds, but this year was largely dominated by Angus and Angus cross teams. The first award to be announced was for meeting induction specifications, this year saw 18 teams receive the full 100 points for induction which include meeting weight specifications, treatment requirements and having the correct paper work accompany the cattle and further the paperwork being correctly completed. Amongst the 18 teams there were 9 teams that were Angus or of an Angus cross.

Anticipation was high when it was time for the Carcase awards to be presented, with mutterings from around the room, that included ‘this is the important one’ and ‘this is the one that counts’, referring to the importance of carcase eating quality. The awards for best carcase did not disappoint and saw Angus teams come in first, second and third, including Murrunjai Pastoral Company, Murra Angus followed by Barbara Mawhood respectively.

On the night of nights that was the Beef Spectacular Feedlot trials presentation, John Dettmann excelled and showed all in the room he consistently breeds excellent feedlot cattle. John took out the Certified Australian Angus Beef Champion Pen, with Frank Sorraghan running a close second. John was then able to repeat it to take out the Riverine Premium Champion Pen,  with Murrunjai Pastoral (another Angus team) running second.

Overall, grand and Reserve Champion for the trial in it’s entirety, based on point’s scored overall alone, that is not taking into account  meeting the premium brands specifications, Rosedale Livestock took out the top notch with a Charolais/Angus team on 801.5 points. Reserve champion, 1.5 points of the leaders pace, went to John Dettmann and an Angus team with 800 points. Third overall was Frank Sorraghan with an Angus team on 797 points. Fourth, Manchee Agriculture on 793.5 points and fifth overall John Dettmann’s second Angus team on 784.5 points.

With such close results for the Champion, Reserve Champion and Third place getters, it is confirmation that producers are getting better and better at achieving high quality results from their cattle and feedback simply validates the job they are doing and doing so well.

Certified Australian Angus Beef – CEO Phil Morley made the comment while addressing the gathering that this trial is based on commercial reality, the result represents dollars paid to the growers of quality cattle. Further he noted, that the beef primals from these cattle will find their way into some of the best restaurants in Australia and overseas.

Last week, The Land newspaper ran a feature on CAAB. If you missed it, you can read it here on the links below:

CAAB Feature Pg 1

CAAB Feature Pg 2

CAAB Feature Pg 3

Article courtesy of Jon Condon, Beef Central.

A 16-year veteran with an enviable reputation and a newcomer still finding its place in Australia’s branded beef spectrum shared the top honours in the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards announced yesterday.

In one of the biggest branded beef and lamb competitions in Australia, a Gold Medal was awarded yesterday to Certified Australian Angus Beef out of T&R Murray Bridge.

The winners demonstrated the wide spectrum of production systems now employed to produce premium beef brands in Australia: CAAB in this case was a 150-day grainfed entry.

Yesterday’s results in Melbourne (see full medallist list at the bottom of this article) clearly showed that products from across the full palate of beef brands can appeal to judges, rather than just those at the highly-marbled end. Medal winners came from four mainland States.

Meanwhile, for Melbourne Fine Foods’ other Gold Medal winner, Certified Australian Angus Beef, the result adds to a long list of awards garnered over the program’s 16-year lifespan.

Australia’s largest commercial brand, CAAB has grown from humble beginnings in 1996 to become the largest and arguably one of the most successful brands in the country (See this morning’s separate article “Melbourne win endorses CAAB’s program.”

The Melbourne branded beef competition proved to be a strong showcase for Certified Australian Angus Beef and it’s related grassfed ‘Natural’ program, Angus Pure.

Apart from the gold medal winner from licensed CAAB processor, T&R Pastoral’s Murray Bridge abattoir in South Australia, an Angus Pure entry also sourced from T&R earned a silver medal, while a CAAB sample from another licensed processor, Teys Australia’s Wagga plant, earned a bronze.

A statement issued yesterday by Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards said judges were impressed with the high standard of the 18 entries into the Branded Beef category, which earned 12 medals in total, comprising two gold, four silver and six bronze.

The awards use the ‘wine’ system of judging, where medals are awarded on the points achieved, rather than simply first, second, third. This means more than one entry can achieve the same medal ranking.

Conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, the annual celebration of fine foods from across the country is judged over two days at Melbourne Showgrounds. High calibre judges were recruited from both the hospitality and meat processing sides of the industry.

“Blind tastings and the pointed judging system used ensures integrity and credibility behind the judging process,” spokeswoman Ann Houlihan said.

Winning a medal at the RMFFA was a recognition of excellence, and medals on award-winning products were a valuable marketing tool for winners, she said.

Gold medal winners are eligible to win the Champion Trophies, which will be presented at a presentation luncheon on September 23 during the 2012 Royal Melbourne Show.

Five of the six gold and silver medals awarded this year were either Angus-specific programs, or heavily influenced by Angus genetics.

2012 Melbourne Fine Foods Branded Beef Medal Winners

Gold:

• Certified Australian Angus Beef – T&R Pastoral Certified Australian Angus Beef – NSW
• Wingham Beef Exports – Manning Valley Naturally – NSW

Silver:

• Certified Australian Angus Beef – T&R Pastoral, Angus Pure – NSW
• Stockyard Meats – Stockyard Gold, MSA Grainfed – QLD
• Aldi Stores – Highland Park Grassfed Beef – NSW
• Richard Gunner Fine Meats – Coorong Angus Dry Aged – SA

Bronze:

• Atron Enterprises – Condabri Beef – NSW
• Atron Enterprises – Spring Grove Beef – NSW
• Certified Australian Angus Beef – Teys Australia CAAB – NSW
• Oakey Abattoir – Oakey Angus Reserve – Qld
• Farmer Dan – Farmer Dan Free-Range Beef – VIC
• Richard Gunner Fine Meats – Coorong Angus – SA.