Beef Bonanza Fires Up

THE Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza kicked off today in cool and overcast conditions at White Park, Scone with 838 students taking part and the local community is encouraged to come down.

Beef Bonanza has been developed over 12 years and has grown in size affording school students the opportunity to get involved in the beef industry.

See photos below.

Some cattle are donated for the event by various land holders allowing them the opportunity to see how their cattle fair in comparison to others, the students are also judged in their preparation and execution in the showing process.

Doug Robertson, President of Beef Bonanza is pleased to give students a way to be introduced to agriculture and how that opportunity can help the students, schools, communities and the industry.

“It’s a competition that has evolved over the last twelve years that was set up to basically give the kids the opportunity to get involved with the beef industry,” Mr Robertson said.

“It gives the schools the opportunity to get involved at the base level without having to outlay any considerable amounts of money to go and buy a beast,” he said.

“There has been lots of stories over the years with especially coastal schools that had no agricultural department and no experience who got involved with it and now exhibit their own cattle,” he said.

“We have anecdotal stories from schools with kids that have been having trouble at school, the whole idea of being responsible and looking after the husbandry of the steer and caring for that animal has given them a purpose at school and made them switch on and think about the future which reciprocates into their studies,” he said.

“We try to emphasise to industry that this sort of event is beneficial to them in the long run, it’s just going from strength to strength.

“This year we have record entries, our cattle numbers are up 33 percent and 838 students competing over the weekend.

“In the style of this competition it is the largest one in the country in terms of the amount of kids competing, it is a bit of a feather in Scone’s cap really to be able to offer that sort of competition.

“It would’t happen without the sponsors, there are plenty of sponsors that help us out.

“There are kids that have ended up working as agents, stockman or working somehow related to agriculture, and these are kids that haven’t come off a rural property, they are town kids.

“The other important side of it is it’s not just a schools competition, there is a lot of beef producers that can put their cattle in this competition, it is a really good benchmark to see where their product sits and how competitive it is.

“The motels have high occupancy over the weekend and with all the schools that camp.

“Competitions like this really only exist on this sort of scale at Royal Shows and you can’t afford to take a whole ring of  your kids to Royal Shows as here they can bring as many kids as they have got and put them up out here in tents which is not going to cost them an arm and a leg, we get the big numbers which has a big impact in town.

“Most of these cattle here are slaughtered and judged as carcasses, they can see what they have achieved in feeding it and preparing it and see how it is judged on the rail as well,” he said.

“Without JBS’s help and acceptance of it we wouldn’t be able to offer the competition we have put together, they are processing the cattle on Monday and Tuesday in terms of judging'” Doug Robertson said.

For full information go to the Beef Bonanza Website here.

• WHEN: Friday, October 27 – Sunday, October 29 – see program above for times.
• WHERE: Scone White Park, Guernsey Street, Scone.
• COST: Free entry and food is available.