Newsletter for Week ending 18^th February 2005

The importance of feedlots

This week I presented a paper to the Armidale Feeder Steer School on the importance of lot feeding in the domestic market in Australia. Twenty years ago, there were very few feedlots in Australia. Today feedlot capacity is close to one million head and in 2004 feedlots turned off 2.24 million head which represents almost thirty percent of the total slaughter of 7.7 million head. Assuming that thirty five percent of the slaughter is cull cows the feedlot industry now provides forty five percent of young slaughter cattle. These include the premium products for the Japanese and Korean markets and 80 to 90 percent of the beef sold by our two largest supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles.

In 2004 a little over half of the cattle turned off by feedlots went to the Australian Domestic Market. Feedlots played a major role in maintaining cattle prices during the recent major drought by continuing to absorb cattle that could not be finished on grass. Feedlots are now an impotant part of the large pastoral companies such as Australian Agricultural Company allowing them to reduce the age of turn off of steers from three years to under two years.

Feedlots are now an integral part of any beef industry and have a major influence on the relative demand for different breeds and types of cattle. More about feedlot specifications next week.

Success at Hamilton Beef Expo

Limousins were well represented at the Hamilton Beef Expo in Western Victoria with Lochton, Donna Valley, Ben Darroch and Bella Vista Studs in attendance.

In the show classes Lochton dominated the interbreed bull categories winning Junior Male, and going on to win Grand Champion Bull with “Premier Lochton”, an 18 month old son of Premier Cauliflower.

Bella Vista performed well in the interbreed female section with a Class first and a number of places.  The interbreed sections were split into two, British and Euro.  The British contingent were well represented with some of the top Victorian Angus and Hereford studs in attendance.  The winning British Cow and Calf combination from Banquet Angus was pitted against the Champion Euro Bull.

“Premier Lochton” led by Karen Hedger stood up beautifully in the final round and was selected Supreme Interbreed Exhibit. The judge was Chris Knox from Connabarabran NSW.

In the performance classes Donna Valley dominated over a strong showing from Ben Darroch and Lochton.  This competition is for unled animals and is based 50% on EBV's and 50% visual.  The competition has a commercial bent and is well attended by commercial cattlemen.  Donna Valley has now won this event seven years in a row, a fine effort.  The overall quality of the Limousins presented at Hamilton was very high and generated a lot of positive commercial interest.

Roma Park tops at Camden Haven

Robert and Marilyn Bulley’s Roma Park Stud had a very successful day at the Camden Haven Show in NSW. They took out Junior Champion Limousin bull with Roma Park Yulestar and Junior Champion Limousin female with Roma Park Your-a Pearl.

In the interbreed competition Roma Park won the Pair of Bulls and the Breeder’s Group. To top the day off Roma Park Yulestar was crowned the champion Hastings Manning bred sire and Supreme Beef Bull of the show.

Sydney Royal Judging

It has now been confirmed that Limousin Judging at Sydney Royal will be at 1pm on Tuesday 29^th March and the Black Limousin Sale will be at 5:30pm. Don’t forget to book your tables for the dinner that evening by contacting the ALBS office. Cost will be $45 per person. Don’t miss out!

$100 to $150 Premium

This weeks issue of Weekly Times includes a quote from Vizards’ View on selling Friesian cross females offered at a recent Warrnambool (Vic) sale; “What stood out in the large penning of F1 females was that if joined to Limousin they made $100 to $150 a head more than those joined to Angus or Hereford. A sign of the times?”

$1000 Vealer

I had a couple of phone calls about a nine month old second cross Limousin calf sold at Nowra last week. Weighing 405kg it sold for 253cents/kg or $1,024 on account of Don Hodgson of Jaspers Brush. The sire of the calf was bred by Brian Harrison’s Beaumont Limousin Stud and the calf was sold by Stuart Warden of Campbell & Co of Nowra.

Champion Vealer at Berry

For the third year in a row a purebred Limousin has been crowned the champion vealer at the Berry show. This year it was a French pure Limousin heifer exhibited by Max and Val Atkins.

$1,384 cow

Greg and Joan Stevens of Stevens Limousin at Birriwa NSW sold a cull cow weighing 865kg for 160cents/kg or $1,384. Not bad in what Joan described as a “down market” at Dunedoo (NSW).

Yours in Limousin,

Alex McDonald