HOOF and hook competitions are held at many country and Royal Shows throughout Australia, but Lardner Park, at Lardner, near Warragul in West Gippsland is the only purely Grassfed steer trial in Australia.
Many Stock & Land readers will have seen numerous stories or outcomes I have written over the years, and may sense my loyalty to this trial.
However, it is not just because it is in my home turf, or my ward as a Baw Baw Shire councillor, but the uniqueness of the Lardner Park Steer Trials.
Following the trials over a number of years, i have seen the benefits to producers who have been participants.
Lardner Park events chief executive Nicola Pero indicated the committee wanted to head into the future and use modern technology to aid entries from further afield than local producers.
Originally, European and European crossbreeds have been the focus of this trial, targeting local markets. However, the focus of the industry is changing, and therefore, the Lardner Park Steer Trials need to change too.
While still aiming for the domestic market, the steers are now slaughtered at JBS, Brooklyn, with Coles being the end user.
Awards vary between weight gain, and carcass assessment with 1st-3rd awards for highest weight gain (pair), highest carcass score (pair), and an eating quality award, the later judged under the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) assessment.
Due to the changing domestic market, criteria needs to change too.
This will open the doors for straight British breeds as well as the usual European cross breeds.
“We want to open these trials to more breeds, and expand our entries from all over Australia, if possible,” Nicola Pero said.
All participants are encouraged to attend the monthly weighing, which is followed by a light luncheon, and the main awards are held at the end of the trials, in a dinner held at Lardner Park.
If the producer based entrants are to expand further out than Victoria, Lardner Park will be leading toward social media to aid producers from outer lying districts.
Weekly videos will update participants, and the results from the monthly weigh-in will be available, straight away, online.
Social media will be the key to enhancing the participant base into the future. While it may be a long way from a property to Lardner Park, the extra social media activity will allow producers to follow their steers, like they live next door.
Lardner Park will look to engage with School Programs too, to help foster Victoria’s future farmers, using all available information.
Last week i wrote about the Hereford breed, and this trial could be one for Hereford breeders to prove their input into the red meat industry. After all when the coat comes off it is all red underneath. A producer only has to meet the specifications to get the rightful return.
There is a limited number of entries available, capped at 35 pairs at the moment, so if you are interested in this unique trial, get in early, when entries open soon, and they close on June 19.
For any potential participants, there strict rules of engagement, so please go to the website at http://lardnerpark.com.au/steer-trial-2017-2/.
The conditions of entry may not suit everyone, so read carefully.
