THE Simmental breed has done it again in the interbreed ring at the Melbourne Royal Show.
The breed has won the competition's supreme interbreed exhibit for a second year in a row, with Mavstar Simmental stud, Myanym, winning the same ribbon last year, but this year, the ribbon is heading west over the border to near South Australia's Limestone Coast.
The Baker family of Woonallee Simmental stud, Furner, SA, won the title with their April 2021-drop cow Woonallee 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 supreme Simmental exhibit with their junior champion female, Woonallee Vasti, among other sashes.
Woonallee stud co-principal Lizzy Baker said she was humbled and proud to take out the win.
"I'm really excited to win the pinnacle competition," she said.
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.
"There's demand for Black Simmental cattle in particular as they work well with crossbreeding programs, but there's still a great place for the traditional types of Simmentals as well."
Woonallee 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".
It had been a wet year for the operation at Furner, and Ms Baker said that meant a lot of effort was required to get her show team ready for their big events.
"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 and ready."
Speaking on behalf of the judges, judge Jason Catts, Futurity Pastoral, Kenebri, NSW, said the supreme exhibit 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," Mr Catts said.
"It's a very-safe cow... with the right size and shape of body for the beef industry of today."
The Baker family also found success earlier in the competition, taking out the breeder's group prize.
In a win for the feature breed of the show, the Robson family of Flemington Limousin stud, 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, Moorunga Angus stud, Dromana, won the junior supreme champion bull ribbon with their March 2022-drop bull Raindance.
Judge Ben Davies, Wild Bear, Meadows, SA, 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 Eckermann, Aruma Limousin stud, Korunye, SA, for her entrant Aruma Thor.
Ian and Lyn Frecklington, Hollywood Angus, Peak Hill, NSW, won the senior supreme champion bull prize with their September 2021-drop entry Hollywood Smokin'.
Of that bull, judge David Bondfield, Dalveen, Qld, said he 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.
The Baker family continued their success in that category, winning the senior reserve champion bull for their Simmental Woonallee SKW.
The junior supreme champion female was awarded to Phoebe Eckermann, Aruma, for her February 2022-drop Limousin entry Warrawindi Too Hot To Handle.
Mr Bondfield said Warrawindi Too Hot To Handle was part of a field of cattle 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.
The Robson family, Flemington, picked up another sash for the junior reserve champion female.
