IN its third year of competition, the annual Harvey Beef Gate 2 Plate Challenge attracted plenty of interest from cattle producers throughout WA.
At its open day last Saturday, 59 cattle teams were penned at the Mt Barker Regional Saleyards which was just one less than at last year's event.
The competition also enticed 10 new producer participants this time around which was viewed by organisers as a big win for the future of the competition.
The Harvey Beef Gate 2 Plate Challenge is run by the Albany Agricultural Society as well as a group of volunteers and is designed for stud and commercial beef producers to assess their animals' performance through the grainfed, Meat Standards Australia (MSA) graded, domestic WA supply chain.
Owner-bred teams of two steers and one heifer are entered and producers areprovided with the market specifications that the competition cattle must meet at the time of their slaughter.
The cattle are then transported to Willyung Farms for the grain finishing period of 70-85 days before all are processed and MSA-graded by Harvey Beef on the same day.
Individual cattle performance data is also collected throughout the period of the competition including growth rates, carcase weights and eating quality information.
The producer of the trio deemed the most profitable throughout the supply chain will take home $5000 thanks to Harvey Beef, and valuable performance feedback relative to his or her own herd.
There were no less than 57 blends of breeds on show at the competition opening last weekend - from Angus, Murray Grey, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Gelbvieh and Poll Hereford to Speckle Park, Charolais, Limousin, Simmental and every imaginable cross in between.
Platinum sponsor Harvey Beef was grateful to be involved this year and its general manager of livestock Kim McDougall returned to wish producers all the best with their entries.
"The beauty of this competition is that it's based on commercial attributes that we're looking for to service the ever-growing supermarket trade," he said.
"Harvey Beef supplies Coles but is also working with ALDI which currently has 20 stores in WA.
"Projections suggest that in the next four years ALDI will have 80 stores which will bring it into line with the likes of Coles and Woolworths.
"ALDI will be a significant player so the types of cattle which are here in the yards today have a very strong and viable future.
"For us the focus will be on supplying quality meat and it's pleasing to see the genetic diversity on display today.
"The importance of good genetic material combined with good feed, unparalleled animal welfare and top notch management practices will continue to produce a premium product for the WA market."
