Clean sweep for Monterey Herefords at Adelaide Royal

Showing a team of Herefords for the first time under his own prefix, Ben Langford scored a dream double by exhibiting both the Grand Champion Bull and Grand Champion Female of the Adelaide Royal on September 9.

Mr Langford had previously shown heifers for other studs, but this year his own team from Monterey Poll Herefords stud at Rockleigh also won pair of bulls, sire’s progeny group and the title of Most Successful Exhibitor.

Judge Alastair Day, Allendale Poll Herefords, Bordertown, selected Monterey Aftershock S001 as Senior and Grand Champion Hereford bull, and his stablemate Monterey Endure S018 as Junior Champion.

Mr Day said both bulls were good representations of the breed but he was impressed by the senior bull’s thickness and conformation.

Sired by Mawarra Aftershock out of Minlacowie Nikki, S001 weighed 668kg and had a raw eye muscle scan of 109sqcm with fat depths of 10mm on the rib and 11mm on the rump.

Monterey Endure S018 was a May 2021 drop calf weighing 580kg, with an eye muscle area of 116sqcm, 8mm on the rib and 10mm on the rump.

Monterey Fragrant S013 emerged from the 14 and U18 months class to be sashed Junior and Grand Champion Female. She is a daughter of US sire NJW 79Z Z311 Endure 123D out of Minlacowie Fragrant H41.

Senior Champion Female was Kerlson Pines Regal, exhibited by Urrbrae Agricultural High School, Netherby. With 36 students involved, Urrbrae’s steer show team placed in the top six schools for the Most Professional Show team and was well represented in the two handler competitions.

The team scored a first and second with their young Hereford heifers (Urrbrae Sari and Urrbrae Regal Lady), Grand Champion Senior Cow with Kerlson Pines Regal, and a third in the bull 14 and U18 months, with Urrbrae Simmo.

In the led steer classes, Days Whiteface placed fourth in the purebred steer 390-450kg with Days S04, and fourth in the crossbred heavy domestic 506-534kg with Days Spot. Morganvale Beef came third in the purebred heavy domestic 486-510kg class with Morganvale Senator S205, and fourth in the schools purebred export 550-580kg with Morganvale Sawyer.

The Herefords Australia prize for any purebred steer on the hook gaining 82 points or over was won by Lachy and Lou Day, Days Whiteface, Bordertown, with Days S212 and in second place, Days S226. The University of Adelaide was third with Ardno Sullivan, followed by Urrbrae’s Kilkerrin Kylo and Wudinna Area School with Mikey.

Days Whiteface also received the Herefords SA prize for the highest scoring Hereford domestic steer on the hook for Days S226.

The Herefords SA prize for the school exhibiting the highest-scoring Hereford steer on the hoof and hook went to Morganvale Senator S205. Allan and Heather Morgan, Morganvale Pastoral, Keith, were awarded the Herefords SA prize for the breeder of the highest-scoring school Hereford steer on the hoof and hook.

Morganvale Sawyer received the Herefords SA prize for the highest scoring Hereford export steer on the hook.

The cattle were judged on the hoof on September 4 and processed at Teys Naracoorte on September 5.

GRAIN BUYER THRILLED BY WIN

Born and bred in Adelaide, Ben Langford has worked as a grain buyer in Melbourne and Geneva, Switzerland, and juggles his Poll Hereford stud with a young family and fulltime job.

Ben and his wife Alexandra run 20 registered females on a block 40 minutes from their home and have around 60 embryo transfer pregnancies on the way.

Ben’s interest in the breed was sparked by a small commercial herd run by his grandparents. After graduating from school, his first job was with Ross and Andrew Bennett, Bundulla Poll Herefords, Mundulla.

He was mentored by Tom Honner, Minlacowie Poll Herefords, Brentwood, and competed at the SA heifer shows as a teenager.

“Monterey started with a Minlacowie cow agisted at Tom Honner’s and in exchange, I helped him with his show team,” Ben said.

“2020 was our first real drop of calves and we sold some R drop bulls as yearlings into Angus herds in the Northern Territory.”

Ben has used proven breeders from Minlacowie as his foundation herd and aims to maintain the frame whilst using sires with outcross genetics.

“There are a lot of great people in Herefords in SA. When I look back on Adelaide one of the highlights was receiving the Grand Champion Bull ribbon from Graham Day – that was pretty cool,” he said.

Horse rider wins prestigious cattle handlers award

A horse rider with no experience of showing cattle until this year has won the highly coveted Urrbrae Handlers Prize, awarded to the student judged to have the best relationship with their led steer at the Royal Adelaide Show.

Caitlyn Charles, a Year 11 student from Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School whose parents have a small hobby farm in the Adelaide Hills, has been a regular competitor in equine competitions and used her experience with horses to inform her work in leading, feeding and preparing cattle for the Show.

A team of eight students from years 10-12 at Eastern fleurieu School took part in the competition, with Caitlyn winning the award alongside her Poll Hereford steer Kylo, registered as Kilkerrin Steer PMW S027.

Stud breeder Trish Worth from Kilkerrin Poll Herefords described the win as ‘a tremendous achievement’ and said the inherent calm and tolerant nature of Herefords made them well suited to the challenges of the school environment.

“They adapt to feed quickly and they’re very tolerant of the students, whose abilities and experience vary greatly. That builds the students’ confidence and in turn allows them to become more competent more quickly, so that they present at their best when it really counts,” said Mrs Worth.

“Caitlyn is a very determined personality and picked up the subtle intricacies of working with cattle very quickly, and I was delighted to see such a relaxed handler and animal – the perfect combination!

Ryan Garnett, educator Ag and Science at Eastern Fleurieu School commented that the whole team of dedicated students at Eastern Fleurieu School love the full preparation and showing experience.