Shorthorn cross delivers top grass-fed results for Essex Grazing Co at 2023 CQ Carcase Classic

Peter and Bev Quinn and their family of Essex Grazing Co, Middlemount, took home champion grass-fed carcase and champion grass-fed pen.

Essex Grazing Co is a family run and operated EU, PCAS and grasslands accredited cattle enterprise, which is currently running up to 8000 head of Charbray and Shorthorn commercial cattle across a 35,200 hectare aggregation in central and North Queensland.

Peter and his son Matthew accepted the champion grass-fed carcase award and Redbank trophy on the night for their Shorthorn cross steer, which scored 150.15 points out of 205 points.

Their champion grass-fed carcase was a four tooth steer with a 392.4kg hot standard carcase weight, a 99 square centimetre eye muscle area and a 63.34 MSA index.

As well as scoring three marbling points, the steer had P8 and rib fat measurements of 14 mm and 12 mm respectively, plus 17 weight for age points.

Their champion grass-fed pen were three Shorthorn cross heifers with HSCWs ranging from 273.4kg to 293.4kg, 86-92sq cm EMAs, and MSA indexes from 61.13 to 62.55.

Among their other awards they received on the night, Essex is also received the largest eye muscle award, which was achieved by their Shorthorn cross steer, with a HSCW of 384.9 kg, which recorded an EMA of 103 sq cm, receiving an EMA score of 29.85 points out of 35.

The four tooth steer was entered into the single grassfed steer or heifer (300-420kg) class.

They entered 20 grass-fed cattle into the 2023 competition, which were all bred on their 17,800 hectare northern breeder block, Taemas, 120km south of Charters.

Taemas is managed by Rhys and Shae Collins, while the Quinn family's remaining, Box Gully, Collawmar, and Essex properties, are used for backgrounding.

Matthew Quinn said the family credited their carcase success to the Shorthorn cross, which they brought in from The Grove Shorthorns stud, and the Collins family, who bred their cattle at Taemas.

"We introduced Shorthorns into our operation in 2017 to increase the carcase quality so we could be on the front foot moving forward and trying to produce a better carcase," Mr Quinn said.

"We were looking for an increase in carcase quality and in 2015, Teys Australia mentioned that they wanted to move forward in carcase quality and the increase in grass fed carcase quality the premiums would flow through to the producers.

"The value of our data to our breeding plan has been invaluable and we could probably contributed most of our ribbons to The Grove Shorthorns, who have supported our move to Shorthorns."

Essex Grazing Co targets Teys Australia'a grasslands market, for which they send weaner steers and cull heifers to and aim to have them dressed 350-360kg.

"We're passionate grass-fed producers and we target the grasslands market at Teys Rockhampton in central Queensland because that's where we get our biggest premium," Matthew Quinn said.

"The success with our Shorthorns started at last Beef event when we won the grand champion commercial pen at beef.

"We've also increased our MSA index by 2.6 points in one cross and we've lowered our first calf loss mortality by in excess of more than 5 per cent in one cross.

"For our first calf heifers, we were accepting five to 10pc and through the EBVs and the quality of data we get out of the Shorthorns, we've lowered that to some one per cent in cross and we're getting the carcase quality at the same time."

The last time Essex Grazing Co won a major award in the CQ Carcase competition was back in 2013 for champion grassfed carcase.

Since then, they have entered the odd year, depending on how busy we are and the seasonal conditions.

"We like the bench marking ability of this competition," Mr Quinn said.

"Your ability to benchmark your own animals against some of CQ's top commercial producers, how do you put a value on that?"