Newsletter for the Week Ending 17 September 2004
Agshow
Sale Update
Some information
I did not have to hand at the time of writing last weeks newsletter is as
follows.
Junior member
Thomas Bazley from Nobby, Qld sold a bull for $11,000 in a spectacular start to
his stud breeding career. The bull was
purchased as a calf from the Rosehill Stud.
Talana Limousins from
Kingaroy sold Talana Xtraterrestrial for $6,500 to average $4,500 for two
bulls.
New vendors
Crystal Park Limousin Stud from the Currumbin Valley sold two bulls to a top of
$4,500 and an average of $4,125. John
and Coral Winning of Glencoe Stud at Dalby sold two bulls for $4,000 each. Jock and Laurel Taylor of the Glenview Stud
sold three bulls to a top of $4,000 and an average of $3,333 and Kenneth and
Tanya Falkenhagen sold one bull for $4,500.
Guess Who
There was a
report in this week's Weekly Times of a record price for a pen of six steer
vealers of 248 c/kg at the Pakenham saleyards on Monday. In the small print at the end of the article
it was revealed that, yes they were Limousin X vealers which weighed 380kg and
made a handsome price of $942 per head.
Quirindi
Hook Results
Last week I
reported the on hoof results for the Quirindi Prime Cattle Competition. This week I am pleased to report the carcase
results in which Limousin and Limousin cross cattle featured strongly including
the Grand Champion Carcase; an Angus X Limousin exhibited by home town Quirindi
High School.
The results were
as follows:
Schools
Steer 361-410kg
1st O'Connor Catholic College, Limousin X
4th BWSC - Umina Campus, Limousin X Angus
Schools Steer
or Heifer 411kg and over
1st Quirindi High School, Angus X Limousin
2nd Quirindi High School, Angus/Limousin X
4th Baradine Central School, Murray Grey X
5th Quirindi High School, Angus/Limousin X
Heifer
Under 410kg
1st Quirindi
High School, Angus/Limousin X
2nd Calrossy School, Limousin
3rd Eliza
Newcombe, Limousin
Open
Steer 410kg and under
1st St
Johns Dubbo, Limousin X Angus
3rd O'Connor Catholic College, Limousin X
Open
Steer or Heifer 411kg and over
2nd DW
& SK Riley, Limousin X
4th NE Girls School, Limousin X Angus
5th Gordon Pengilley, Limousin X Angus X
Charolais
6th LJ & MA & Simon Alcorn, Limousin
A New
Carcase Judging System
Meat Standards
Australia used a brand new judging system for the Quirindi competition which
has created a significant amount of interest/confusion among exhibitors.
The prototype
system penalises anything above a B muscle score with the heaviest penalties
for A muscle score carcases even though they had adequate fat cover. It is a mystery why the potentially highest
yielding carcases were penalised. It
has a few other "quirks" such as measuring "hump height" in
British/Euro breed cattle and penalising those with slightly higher
"humps" for "lower eating quality". I understand this system will be used to
judge the Melbourne Show carcases this week so "hold onto your hats".
I am in
discussion with the MSA people about the commercial relevance and scientific
basis for the current version of the judging system. However the results at Quirindi demonstrate the ability of
Limousin X cattle to win under just about any judging system.
NLIS
Classification
While ALBS
accepts NLIS tags as a form of "permanent identification" all animals
entered into shows or sales must still have a full ear tattoo. This may change in time.
If you are
uncomfortable about not tattooing your animals please continue to tattoo them. I am reliably informed that by placing herd
ident and grade code in the top section of one ear and the year letter and the
number in the top section of the other ear there is still room to insert the
NLIS tag and a paddock tag in opposite ears. That way there should be 110 percent chance that the animal is
permanently identified.
QTL Sale
Coming Up
The QTL Limousin
Bull Sale with 37 lots is scheduled for 28 September in Rockhampton Qld.
The web catalogue
has already received nearly 2000 page hits from 138 visitors so there appears
to be strong interest in the sale.
Limo
Females at Mudgee
For anyone
looking for stud or commercial Limousin females there will be 27 cows and
heifers on sale at the regular Mudgee Store Sale on 29 September. Some are registered and some are not. Contact Bill Lawson Agencies at Mudgee for
more details.
Other
Females for Sale
Several breeders
have called or faxed to say they have registered Limousin females for sale. Contacts are available for females in WA, SA,
Vic and NSW.
Tamworth
Toppers
Phil and Barbara
Bricknell from the tongue twisting town of Currabubula in NSW sold eight young
Limousin heifers that had been on feed for 50 days at the Tamworth Sale last
week 348kg @ 223.2 c/kg = $777 to top the sale. As a bonus they were presented with some "scratchies"
from selling agent William Rixon & Co for topping the sale. According to Barbara the scratchies yielded
the princely sum of $6.00 which helped pay the agents commission.
Pakenham
(Vic) Toppers
Director Wayne
Churchill who regularly sends in sale toppers from the Gippsland Region of
Victoria sent in the following prices from Monday's sale.
2 Limousin X
yearling steers 447.5kg @ 232 c/kg = $1038
1 Limousin X
yearling heifer 405kg @ 240 c/kg = $972
1 Limousin X
yearling heifer 365kg @ 231.6 c/kg = $845
This time they
were Wayne's own cattle which brought a smile to his fax.
Melbourne
Royal
Don't forget
Melbourne Royal judging this Sunday 19th September and the invitation to join
the group for drinks and snacks after judging.
Yours in Carcase Winning Limousin
Alex McDonald