After claiming most successful interbreed winner at the Royal Adelaide Show, an SA stud has claimed the supreme interbreed exhibit at the Melbourne Royal Show.
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The Baker family of Woonallee Simmentals, Furner, secured the supreme exhibit for the breed with their April 2021-drop cow Woonalee Kathee, which initially won the senior supreme female prize in the Interbreed competition.
It topped off an excellent weekend for the stud, who took out the Simmental supreme exhibit with their junior champion female, Woonalee Vasti, among other sashes.
"I'm absolutely and really excited to win the pinnacle competition," Woonalle stud co-principal Lizzy Baker said.
"I'm very humbled and very proud."
Last year, the Simmental breed also took out the Interbreed competition, but the sash remained in Victoria, having been awarded to Mavstar Simmental stud Myamym.
Ms Baker said Simmentals were being bred well and "going strong" throughout the country.
"There's been a strong commercial acceptance of the breed, and that's only growing," she said.
"I guess the demand for the black Simmental cattle in particular as it works well with crossbreeding, but there's still a great place for the traditional types as well."
Kathee was a first-calving heifer with a strong family line that has done well for Woonalee, which Ms Baker said gave a "moderate, complete capacity to the cow, with beautiful milk".
Considering how wet the year had been in her region, Ms Baker also said putting a lot of effort into preparing for the show was important.
"We've had a really wet winter, so it's been challenging with a lot of mud," she said.
"But they say where there's mud, there's money, and I guess we're still green, so we're not complaining.
"We just make sure our entries here are done properly."
On behalf of the judges David Bondfield, Palgrove, Dalveen, Qld and Ben Davies, Wild Bear, Meadows, judge spokesperson Jason Catts, Futurity Pastoral, Kenebri, NSW said Kathee was a high production cow.
"You could have painted her any colour you want, this is a female that's doing a smashing job on a calf for the first time," he said.
"It's a very safe cow ... with the right size and shape for the beef industry of today."
The Baker family also found success earlier in the competition, with their Simmentals taking out the breeder's group prize.
Another interbreed ribbon is headed to SA with the junior supreme champion female prize awarded to Phoebe Eckerman, Aruma, Korunye, for her February 2022-drop Limousin entry Warrawindi To Hot To Handle.
Mr Bondfield said Warrawindi To Hot To Handle was part of a field which started to come to a great mature size.
"This Limousin heifer has unbelievable growth with weight and performance, which she puts together so well," he said,
"She's really thick-topped and right through the middle to lower third carries through a thickness right through the stifle."
The Robson family at Mount View Orchids Batlow, Adelong, NSW, won the senior reserve champion female sash for their Limousin cow Flemington Black Lynx.
The Angus breed also succeeded on the day, with two separate studs taking out the junior and senior bull champion sashes.
John and Sue Matthies of the Moorunga, Dromana, Vic, won the junior supreme champion bull competition with their March 2022-drop bull Raindance.
Mr Davies said Raindance was a "very powerful individual".
"He has a huge top line, a massive spring of rib, a great depth of body, great testicles, and very good feet and legs," he said.
Junior reserve champion bull went to Phoebe Eckerman, Aruma, Korunye, for her Limousin entrant Aruma Thor.
Ian and Lyn Frecklington of Hollywood Angus, Peak Hill, NSW, won the senior supreme champion bull prize with their Sep 2021-drop entry Hollywood Smokin'.
Mr Bondfield said the bull was long-bodied, wide and very square.
"This bull, when he moves, he floats along and steps very nicely and you really can't ask for much more in a bull," he said.
"There's a lot of weight and growth, but he's really starting to pull up and that's where we need them to be - where he is sitting."
The Baker family continued their success in that category, winning the senior reserve champion bull for their Simmental Woonallee SKW.
The Robson family at Mount View Orchids Batlow picked up another sash for the junior reserve champion female, for an Angus heifer, Flemington Dandaloo.
