Coota Park Blue-E's big feedlot performance win

With two teams of the operation's Angus/Shorthorn Blue-E, which has recently had a Simmental influence included, Coota Park was awarded the reserve champion in feedlot performance and finished seventh overall.

"We have been in it since the beginning, since it started and we have always done pretty well in the growth rate feedlot side of things," said Coota Park Blue-E's Jon Wright.

"We have won the feedlot performance before and probably about 10 of the 14 times we have been in the top 10," he said.

One of the two teams of Coota Park's Blue-E composite steers gained an average of 2.196 kilograms a day and secured the reserve champion feedlot performance placing.

This team also finished with an average eye muscle area of 87.6 square centimetres, average fat depths of 11.2mm P8 fat and 6.6mm on the rib, and an average MSA Index of 63.438.

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Coota Park's other team placed 20^th in the feedlot performance.

"We use it as a gauge to test our genetics. Of course it is good to win and we use it as a promotional thing," Mr Wright said.

"And the other thing is, what is the use of being a seedstock producer and thinking you are breeding the best cattle in the world if you are not testing them against the industry and having the courage to do that.

"We take that approach and unless we chuck it in amongst the mix and see what is going on, how do we know whether we are doing a good job, so we really appreciate the trial."

Mr Wright said the whole purpose was to produce an animal that would make the feedlot and excel, which was what all people were after.

"Growth rate and coat colour is the biggest determinate of profitability so we know we have got to tend to that," he said.

Using a multi-trait approach, Mr Wright said he was trying to produce the fastest growing animal that also has as much yield and marbling as possible, which was where the results from the Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial came into play.

"Our goal has always been a multi-trait, it is about trying to make sure they are still competing in all the other areas," Mr Wright said.

"We can probably work out are our animals growing fast enough, but unless you have the carcase side of it, it is only a guide."

He said he wasn't doing quite as well in the carcase performance as he would like, but he goes home and reads the results book to see what areas need improving.

"I work out exactly why that is. Perhaps it is because our steers went in too light and we missed out on a whole lot of carcase points because our carcases aren't heavy enough," Mr Wright said.

"Even though they might be the second best growing team in the competition, they still can't get the points because they don't go in heavy enough.

"And there is nothing I can do about that because it is when we calve in my operation ... and I am not going to go and change all of that for just a competition."

Mr Wright said he would enter another two of his Coota Park Blue-E composite teams in next year's competition.

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