Taking the bull by the horns organisers of this year's Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza have opted to go with a livestreamed event for their annual hoof and hook competition.
This follows in the footsteps of the recently held Colin Say & Co Beef Extravaganza in Glen Innes where steers were delivered to the saleyards for the live judging followed later with a livestream of the carcase results.
Beef Bonanza was cancelled last year due to COVID-19 and this year's event looked like it could have headed the same way given lockdown restrictions and other public health orders impacting on the viability of staging the popular competition.
Described as the largest beef cattle youth event staged in Australia it usually attracts hundred of entries from throughout NSW and interstate with live judging of led steers and stud heifers taking place at Scone's White Park facilities.
But in good news for the many schools who were preparing entries for Bonanza the competition will go ahead thanks to livestreaming technology. It will be for unled on the hoof and hook.
Organisers said they will hold a livestream judging of the exhibits on Sunday, October 24, 2021. This will then be followed up with a livestream release of our carcase competition results later in the week.
At the recent Beef Extravaganza Upper Hunter and Mid North Coast exhibitors were successful on the hoof and hook.
For Tayla Miller, Blue Gene Cattle Company, Scone, 2021 has been a very successful year for her in steer and stud cattle competitions. The Sydney Royal and now at Glen Innes steers she has prepared have won championship ribbons.
She wrote we are beyond excited to have the Champion Heavyweight Carcass of the Colin Say & Co P/L Beef Extravaganza, winning class 8 which had 26 entries.
"Splash was a Charolais/Hereford x Angus and bred by Pete and Janine Clydsdale. We also exhibited two Charolais x Angus steers by the same Angus bull who also received places both hoof and hook," she said.
"Extremely proud of these three steers and such a credit to Pete and Janine on breeding such a wonderful line up. "Thankyou to the team at Colin Say & Co for running the event in such hard times and making it happen!"
Ms Miller who also works as an agriculture teacher at Scone Grammar said the school exhibited five steers (two bred by the DGP & SA Brooker and three bred by Tom and Julie Morton). A steer from the Brooker family placed 1st in the junior class on hoof and placed 3rd on hook and one steer from the Mortons placed 5th in the same class on the hook.
St Joseph's High School Aberdeen who did well in the live judging also had success in the carcase judging winning a class in the junior led steer with entry 1208 a Limousin x that steer came second in the jackpot.
Kempsey High School scored a second ribbon on the hook in the junior led steer classes and a fourth on the hook in the junior led heifer class.
Louise Nichols
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
