The Westech committee is calling for nominations from beef producers to take part in a steer trial, based in Barcaldine, to start on February 6, 2017, and conclude with a lunch and the presentation of information at the Westech Field Days in September.
According to spokesman, Ben Chandler, the trial will utilise walk-over weighing systems and remote pasture sensing technology to gain information on the performance of the steers throughout the trial.
Collaborating with the Department of Agriculture, the Westech committee sees this as a great opportunity for beef producers to benchmark the performance of their cattle against their peers in a uniform and controlled environment.
The teams of six steers will run in the same paddock, under the same conditions, for 14 weeks before being sold to Mort and Co’s Grassdale feedlot, where they would all be fed for 100 days prior to slaughter.
All aspects of the steers’ performance will be monitored, recorded and provided to participants including daily pasture weight gains, feedlot performance and carcase feedback.
The results will then be presented with a lunch and some awards at the Westech Field days.
Ben said the trial was aimed at providing beef producers objective data on the performance of their livestock, which will then allow them to make informed management decisions on issues such as supplementation programs, when productivity peaks, plateaus, and declines, and the quality of the pasture, relative to the time of the year.
“With the beef industry currently enjoying some excellent conditions, it is important to maximise productivity, and to understand what influences that,” he said.
“This trial is also aimed at assisting in identifying some of the factors that can influence performance, like breed, genetics, pasture quality, and timing.”
More information can be found on the Westech website, or by calling Tom Chandler on 0407 511 633, to nominate a team.