Jake Passfield with Clermont Beef Expo grand champion exhibit winners Frank and Scott Finger, Hillview, Clermont. Steers sold for $2048/head. Photo by QCL
By Martin Bunyard, Queensland Country Life
Frank and Scott Finger’s pen of 10 home-bred Simmental/Brahman-cross steers won the pen of Jap bullocks, grain fed minimum 100 days, then went on to win champion prime cattle of the show and also grand champion exhibit of the show.
Frank Finger said it was a real honour to be awarded the top prize at the Clermont Beef Expo’s prime and store cattle show and sale.
“We find Simmental-cross cattle excellent for weight gain in our country,” Mr Finger said.
“These champion bullocks entered the feedlot in lighter condition than usual due the dry conditions, but we managed to get them to 430kg at feedlot entry weight.”
The Finger’s steers entered the Paringa Feedlot at Capella for 100 days on feed with the family only entering steers in Clermont’s Beef Expo cattle competition for the past three years and winning grand champion exhibit for the last two years.
“I think the secret to us producing show winning commercial cattle is buying good quality bulls,” Mr Finger said.
The family currently buys Simmental bulls from Meldon Park, Billa Park and Blue Dog studs.
“We have a Brahman breeder herd and put Simmental bulls over the females to achieve the benefits of increased weight gain in our progeny when both lotfeeding or fodder crop feeding,” Mr Finger said.
“We sell all the Simmental/Brahman-cross progeny.”
“We also use Brahman bulls over select females to produce pure Brahman replacement heifers for our breeding herd.
“Running Brahman cows in our country gets the best results for us.”
The grand champion exhibit of 10 head sold to 292c/kg for 701kg to return $2048/head during the Clermont Beef Expo commercial cattle sale.
The Finger family take home prize money and broad ribbon as winners of the Isaac Regional Council Grand Champion Exhibit of the Beef Expo.