CHAROLAIS cattle 'feel like home' to Capel teenager Amanda Cavenagh.
And it comes as no surprise, given the 19-year-old grew up at the Elgin Park Charolais and Shorthorns stud run by her parents Jim and Belynda Quilty.
"I love the breed and its temperament," Ms Cavenagh said.
"My entire experience with beef has always been about Charolais.
"Nothing beats looking out at a green paddock when you have a bunch of white-coated cows out there."
With an obvious dedication to the breed, Ms Cavenagh was rewarded as this year's Charolais Society of Australia's youth scholarship winner.
The lucrative scholarship has earned her a spot at the Charolais International youth conference and show in Kansas, United States, next month.
"I am really excited - this is going to be my first time travelling overseas," Ms Cavenagh said.
"When I received the phone call telling me I had won, it didn't really register to begin with.
"I honestly didn't know what to say - I was so shocked."
The international conference and show is set to take delegates on a number of herd and stud tours - including Fink Beef Genetics and Nextgen Cattle Co - over the course of 11 jam-packed days.
As well as onfarm tours, Ms Cavenagh - who works as a livestock officer at Boyanup - is most looking forward to checking out stockyards in the US.
"It will be interesting to see how they operate considering that's the work I am doing at the moment," she said.
"Boyanup is obviously only cattle, but over there I think they will have all different kinds of livestock."
Ms Cavenagh joined the Charolais Society of Australia as a youth member about six years ago, after starting her own small stud Ace Charolais.
Raised with cattle farming in her roots, she always wanted to pursue a career in agriculture.
Her earliest childhood memories involve showing Charolais at WA country shows and Perth's Royal Show.
"I have been leading cows in the ring and parading at competitions since I was about five years old," she said.
"I remember entering the parader competitions with our Charolais calves and then slowly - each year - taking one to youth cattle camp. "We knew them on a name basis out in the paddock - even still now."
Competition Charolais are prepped months in advance, and are broken in with the help from Elgin cattleman Andrew Cunningham.
It is a family affair, where everyone works together.
"Mum will do all the clippings and everything," Ms Cavenagh said.
"They are washed and then once they are at the show they are washed, blow dried and prepped up again with the help of family and close friends.
"I usually lead them in the judging competitions now."
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Having spent most of her life showing cattle, Ms Cavenagh has won several Statewide awards for her efforts in cattle parading.
In 2018, she was crowned winner of the State beef cattle parader titles at the Perth Royal Show.
Last year, she earned the same title, while her family's Elgin Park stud was also recognised as grand champion and reserve grand champion carcase winner.
Beyond the farmgate, Ms Cavenagh attended WA College Of Agriculture - Harvey, in years 10-12 and is now juggling full-time work and full-time study.
This year, she was awarded Muresk Institute's associate degree agribusiness AAAC WA prize in farm management for best first year.
"I am completing an associate degree in agribusiness at Muresk through Curtin University," she said.
"I've been doing that for 18 months or so now, set to be finished by the end of the year.
"At the same time, I've also been doing work for Elders and Nutrien at the Boyanup Saleyards."
As for future plans - Ms Cavenagh isn't entirely sure what's on the horizon, but she is keen to study further.
She also wants to look at ways to further share knowledge and promote agriculture to the wider community, particularly those with no background or no exposure to the industry.
"I want to promote both the Charolais breed and agriculture," she said.
"I completed a Meat & Livestock Australia red meat ambassador course at the start of the year, which really helped me to learn how to effectively communicate with people.
"Not everyone gets the opportunity to learn about agriculture and I'm passionate about bridging that city-country divide."
