Angus for MSA Performance

Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager

The 2021 Gate 2 Plate Competition in Western Australia has again proved fruitful for producers of Angus and Angus influenced cattle at an awards dinner held in June.

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A: Harvey Beef Gate 2 Plate Challenge committee member Robert Smith (left), and Coles Albany duty manager Aaron Simpson (right) congratulated Bruce Campbell, AS & M Campbell & Son on winning the award for the team with the best MSA Performance with three Angus calves. Image: Farm Weekly, B: Koojan Hills Angus stud’s Lauren Waller and Chris Metcalfe (centre), were congratulated by Harvey Beef Gate 2 Plate Challenge president Jarrod Carroll (left) and Harvey Beef senior livestock buyer Campbell Nettleton on taking out the overall second place in the competition with a team of pure Angus. Image: Farm Weekly

62 entries were received for the 2021 competition from producers right across Western Australia, and while the prize money was an added bonus, the competition gave producers feedback to help improve their beef operations. Now in its seventh year, the competition is based on factors that are measurable and influence profitability at each stage of the supply chain, as well as eating quality. Teams of three (two steers and one heifer) owner bred cattle are entered and individually scored for feedlot performance (50 points), processing performance (50 points) and MSA grading (25 points) with points combined to give a team score out of 375. Teams are fed in the Willyung Farms feedlot, Albany, with the heifers on feed for 70 days and the steers 85 days, before being processed at Harvey Beef. A purebred Angus team entered by Richard, Christine, Chris and Tim Metcalfe, Koojan Hills Angus stud placed second overall. The same the team also finished third in the feedlot section and second for processing performance. Angus cattle claimed all top three placings in the MSA performance competition. Bruce and Gaye Campbell, AS & M Campbell & Son topped the MSA category with an Angus team that finished with 60.425 points. Second place went to a team of Angus from Austin Park, which finished on 60.340 points, while third went to SA & SH Smith that scored 60.171 points.

TOP TEAMS OVERALL ( 2 STEERS & 1 HEIFER):

2nd: Koojan Hills Angus – Angus 7th: Kangarabbi Farms – Gelbvieh cross Angus 8th: AS & M Campbell & Son – Angus 9th: CA & PE Norton – Angus

TOP TEAMS OVERALL ( 2 STEERS & 1 HEIFER):

3rd: Koojan Hills Angus – Angus

TOP TEAMS PROCESSOR PERFORMANCE:

2nd: Koojan Hills Angus – Angus

TOP TEAMS MSA PERFORMANCE:

1st: AS & M Campbell & Son – Angus 2nd: Austin Park – Angus 3rd: SA & SH Smith – Angus