Message from the President

The annual Field Day is scheduled for May 17th at Lonoke.  Plan to be there to support the assoication.

 

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Sizzling contest to find Scotland’s best steak

Shortlist of sirloins chosen for Royal Highland Show cook-offs

Published: 20/05/2008

 

MUCH AT STAKE: Executive chef Michael Stoddart, left, with Peter Broadbent, centre, and Peter Phythian, judge the steaks at McIntosh Donald, Portlethen. KEVIN EMSLIE

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THE quest to find the producer of Scotland’s best steak narrowed yesterday as a shortlist of sirloins from 12 beef farmers was declared for the cook-offs at next month’s Royal Highland Show.

Judges said their task in the annual Tesco-sponsored contest at Portlethen-based meat processor McIntosh Donald was exceptionally difficult as the quality of entry in the competition this year was exceptionally high.

Placing the 75 sirloins that qualified for yesterday’s judging process from a record entry of 151 cattle were Michael Stoddart, executive chef at the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa; Peter Broadbent, the technical manager with Tesco, and Peter Phythian, the head of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board meat service carcase classification service in Scotland.

Mr Broadbent said the judges had been looking for the very best in terms of beef quality and fat cover.

They praised the lack of overly fat entries, which McIntosh Donald managing director Alan McNaughton put down to high ex-farm prices encouraging farmers to send cattle for slaughter in prime condition rather than holding on to them in the hope prices improve.

Mr Broadbent said fat was a benefit in good steak, but said it should “frame it like a painting” rather than dominate it.

Finalists for the cook-off on June 20 are:

G. and M. Jamieson, Mains of Leask, Ellon, with an R4L Limousin cross heifer.

K. J. and A. Melvin, Meikle Tulloch, Durris, Banchory, with a U+3 Limousin cross steer.

Messrs K. Stewart and Son, of Greenhaugh Farm, Huntly, with an R3 Limousin cross heifer.

G. and D. Anderson, of Brucewells, Netherley, Stonehaven, with an R3 Charolais cross heifer.

Scott Willox, of Dykenook, Netherley, with an R3 Charolais cross heifer.

D. A. McConnach and Sons, of Brotherton Mains, Johnshaven, with an R4L Limousin cross steer.

J. A. Urquhart and Son, of Bogloch, Lumphanan, with a -U3 Charolais cross steer.

A. E. Greig, Denhead Farm, Lonmay, with a -U3 Limousin cross heifer.

B. Grubb, of Mountpleasant, Ardallie, Mintlaw, with a -U4L Limousin cross heifer.

J. M. Marshall, of East Pitkierie, Anstruther, with a -U4L Limousin cross steer.

B. and C. C. Taylor, of Annamuick, Stonehaven, with a -U3 Blonde d’Aquitaine heifer.

W. Innes and Son, of Beechbank Farm, Fordyce, Portsoy, with a -U4L Limousin cross steer.

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BEUS FEATURED IN LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

The Livestock Market Digest featured Beus Cattle Company in its September Fall Marketing Edition. The switch from Simmental to Limousin cattle proved to be a good choice for Beus Cattle of Pasco, Washington. Don and Quella Beus and Brad and Wendy Beus currently raise Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle.

     Don and Quella bought a Limousin heifer for Brad to show and he won his first jackpot futurity in 1991. The Beus run 130 cows in the spring-calving herd and 100 cows in the fall-calving herd.

     The Beus family also owns a feedlot and have seen the benefits of Limousin cattle from a cattle feeding standpoint. Several customers who buy bulls from the Beus also supply calves for the feedlot.

    Let's summarize. Past simmental breeder switches to Limousin and oh yes he owns a feedlot.

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Limousin-The Ideal Complement To British-Based Cows

by Kyle Haley

Maternal efficiency may be Limousin's best kept secret.

Over the year's Limousin have been touted as one of the best in terms of the ability to combine calving-ease with growth and carcass merit. While the Limousin breed continues to excel the competition in each of these important trait areas, the Limousin female, when utilized in a crossbreeding system, has done an admirable job of proving herself in the commercial cow-calf arena.

Commercial cattlemen, in a variety of production environments, who have given the Limousin female a chance to succeed, know firsthand just how profitable a percentage Limousin female can be.

In addition to this real-world performance, respected industry research proves the Limousin female has among the lowest maintenance requirements and is the most efficient over a wide range of available feed resources. Two of the major reasons Limousin are among the most efficient can be attributed to their moderate milk and moderate mature size.
Table 1 also eludes to what cattlemen have said for decades, Limousin is the leading major Continental breed for low birth weights as well as calving-ease... (contnued after chart)

Furthermore, by studying the Limousin genetic trends it becomes apparent that while birth weight has shown very little increase since 1990, docility, milking ability, scrotal circumference, gestation length, weaning weight and yearling weight have all demonstrated positive trends. These positive genetic trends in a variety of economically important traits indicate Limousin seedstock producers are as committed as ever to producing problem-free genetics with the ability to excel in a variety of environments up and down the beef production chain.

Couple this with Limousin's inherent carcass advantages see accompanying table and it becomes apparent that Limousin is the best adapted Continental breed for the rapidly expanding case-ready beef industry. And as the third largest beef cattle breed and largest Continental beef breed, Limousin is positioned at the top of the industry as a breed capable of supplying large numbers to producers interested in using Limousin as their secret weapon.