Agriculture News
Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza
Last weekend 16 enthusiastic members of the St Matthews Cattle Show Team travelled to Scone to compete at the annual Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza. Our team brought along 6 animals - 2 hoof-and-hook steers, 2 stud Charolais heifers and 2 commercial Angus heifers, proudly representing our school across a range of competitions and educational events.
Friday began with our steers being weighed and placed into classes. Winnie weighed 536kg, placing him in Middle Weight, while Poh weighed a whooping 570kg, placing him in the Heavy Weight Class. Students also attended educational workshops, including a hands-on paraders workshop, before taking to the arena that evening for the School Steer Shootout with our Limo x Speckle Park steer, Winnie, led by Alannah. Our Angus heifers Betty and Bessie competed in the Commercial Heifer Class, while our Charolais heifers competed in the Stud Heifer Class; however, they were up against tough competition!
Saturday was another early start as our team hit the show ring for the judging of our steers. Nellie was leading Poh and Alannah was leading Winnie in their classes. Junior paraders followed in the afternoon, with two of our students representing our school. Will H competed in the 14 years and Flynn competed in the PeeWee's (under 8's), with Flynn bringing home a Highly Commended We finished the day with more parading and junior judging practice.
Sunday brought another early morning, with Junior Judging up first followed by Parading. In Junior Judging, students assessed three classes - an unled Shorthorn bull class, a prime led heifer class and a led steer class. Two of our students, Emmaline and Leon, were chosen to deliver an oral presentation based on their judging. Emmaline received 5th while Leon received a Highly Commended in the 15 years Junior Judging
Parading then followed with more ribbons for our show team! In the 15 years Paraders class, Alannah placed 5th in Heat 5, Riley placed 5th in Heat 9 and Layla received a Highly Commended in Heat 2, while in the 16 years paraders, Will M placed 5th overall
At the conclusion of the competition, our steers were loaded and sent to JBS Scone for processing for the hook component, while our heifers were loaded and brought home.
Congratulations to all students for proudly representing St Matthews in our first ever cattle show. Your exceptional work ethic and enthusiasm over the weekend contributed to our overall success.
The St Matthews Cattle Show Team extends a big thank you to all teachers, students and supporters who made this opportunity possible. Special thanks also to Moondoogundi Charolais and Queenie Limousins; your support makes these opportunities possible and continues to inspire the next generation of agricultural leaders
Kimberley White | Agriculture Teacher and Cattle Club Coordinator
