Perth Royal Show: Venturon Charolais beef cattle count wins on the board

The Perth Royal Show Beef Interbreed Competition was dominated by French breeds, with the distinctive white Charolais winning all but one of the individual titles, along with a collection of group awards. It was one of the Thompson family’s proudest achievements, with their Venturon Charolais cattle, bred at Boyup Brook, showing all the attributes worthy of a near-clean sweep. The prestigious judging competition, brought forward this year and held on September 30, brought back to the showring all the champions from the earlier breed judging. The three judges were Lee White of Llandillo Poll Herefords in Bathurst, NSW, Anne Starr of Foxforth Hereford stud in Guyra, NSW, and Martin Lill of Chadwick Downs Cattle Company in Coonabarabran, NSW. Their task was to sash the individual and group interbreed champions from nine different breeds: Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Murray Grey, Red Angus, Red Poll, Simmental and Speckle Park. The Venturon cattle were a cut above the other breeds, with the Thompsons winning three individual all breeds supreme titles including the junior champion beef bull, the junior champion beef female, and a first win for the senior champion beef female. The judges all agreed the Thompsons’ junior bull, Venturon Verified V81, had the mobility, “outstanding” strength of spine and expression “up the top” with lots of softness to be worthy of his title. They liked the Charolais junior female with her “power and performance with heaps of spring of rib, and angulation through hip to pin on a great set of feet”. In a first, the Thompsons won the senior female title, with the cow and calf combination finally breaking through for them. Mr Lill said the cow had a “huge hind quarter but was refined up front and deep in the flank”. “She was the best package with added dimension of carcase while remaining feminine,” he said. With only one senior bull in the competition, it was a victory for first-time all breeds supreme senior champion beef title winners John and Robyn Lynn of Eskdale Herefords in Watercarrin. Their 874kg bull, Eskdale Upstart, caught the eye of Ms Starr who admired the bull’s productive traits. Mr Lynn said it was a grand reward for sticking with the Hereford breed for 51 years. In the group classes, Venturon continued in winning form, taking out the supreme beef breeds pair and the champion breeders group of three interbreed titles. Venturon stud co-principal Harris Thompson said he didn’t think there was a better cross than a terminal Charolais sire over an Angus heifer to produce a “beautiful silver sappy calf”. “We use all our Charolais bulls over our commercial herd and processor feedback is incredible, and we always feature in the top of MSA (Meat Standards of Australia) grading,” he said. “To have the three individual interbreeds this year was incredible.” Wrapping up the beef interbreed competition, the RASWA interbreed calf award was sashed on Spencer Cattle Company’s Juliet W4, a young Hereford female that was “dynamic” in the showring. BEEF INTERBREED COMPETITION All breeds supreme junior champion beef bull: Venturon. All breeds supreme junior champion beef female: Venturon. All breeds supreme senior champion beef bull: Eskdale. All breeds supreme senior champion beef female: Venturon. Breeders pair of bulls: Bradford Cattle Co. Breeders pair of heifers: Bandeeka. Supreme beef breed pair: Venturon. Champion breeders group of three interbreed: Venturon. RASWA interbreed grand champion calf: Spencer Cattle Co.