Deadline looms for Gate 2 Plate Challenge

Nominations are still open for the 2021 challenge which is Western Australia's only beef supply chain challenge and the deadline for producers, commercial and stud breeders to nominate teams of young cattle for the objectively measured challenge is fast approaching.

Not only does the challenge allow producers to benchmark their herd against others, it also provides valuable feedback on the areas where the herd can be improved.

The challenge is a unique cattle competition because it is 100 per cent commercially focused and assesses cattle only on objective traits important for profitability and efficiency through the supply chain, allowing producers to benchmark and improve their bottom line.

In the past the challenge has received entries from producers from Esperance to Geraldton and the committee is looking for a similar spread this year.

HBG2P event co-ordinator Sheena Smith said given the feedback from entries received in the past, the challenge had been extremely popular with producers looking to further their knowledge of their cattle breeding objectives and get feedback on their herd's performance.

"Please don't assume your cattle are not good enough or your herd is not big enough to enter as we have had some entrants only having as little as 30 or less breeders enter," Ms Smith said.

"From the inception of the challenge British, European and crossbreeds have all taken out the win with multiple breeds and crosses having had great success across all classes.

"It's pleasing to see that challengers have made sire selection decisions through the results, resulting in increasing their ranking in the challenge and strengthening their herd for the market place."

Two of the biggest believers in the challenge are this year's (2020) winners Kevin and Sue Nettleton, Unison Limousin stud, Boyanup, who run 90 stud breeders.

The Nettleton family has been entering the challenge from its inception and jumped on board as a sponsor from the second year after realising the benefits of being involved and its importance to the industry in the challenge.

Mr Nettleton said the major benefit was that as a producer you received accurate analytical data on how your cattle performed across all sectors of the industry, from the feedlot to the plate, which can be used to help your herd and breeding direction.

"There is no personal opinions like you get in the showring, just straight factual feedback which you can use to improve the profitability of your herd," Mr Nettleton said.

"It also helps you to find out if your breeding program and genetics are on track.

"All the cattle are treated the same once they get to Mt Barker, so the challenge shows up how your genetics are performing against others in the real life/commercial cattle supply chain and from there you can work out what you need to improve or change."

The Nettletons also believe the events that happen around the challenge, like its field days, are also very useful to producers.

"The field days help bridge the gap between the producer and other sectors in the industry like the processor and the retailer," Ms Nettleton said.

"From attending those days and listening to the speakers you get a better understanding and background knowledge of what the processors/retailers require and what you need to be producing to get top dollar."

After winning last year's challenge the Nettletons were amazed by the number of people who contacted them, which highlighted the reach of the challenge and the interest in it.

Mr Nettleton said they were contacted by people in the Eastern States who had read the results and were interested in what we were doing.

"So not only does it have a strong following but it is also a good marketing tool for studs if your bloodline does well," he said.

Harvest Road general manager - agriculture Kim McDougall said the challenge had been running for a number of years and continued to go from strength to strength as the connection between the commercial domestic market requirements and the challenge become more evident.

"One of the key features of the challenge is that producers who enter get real-world feedback and data that they can use to improve their breeding program and cattle performance at home," Mr McDougall said.

"Another element which is important while commodity and cattle prices are strong feeding the right cattle the right way becomes very important information and this competition provides that to producers to better understand.

"On behalf of the Forrest family I can say they are very proud to be associated with the challenge due to the benefits it brings to the industry and pleased it has matured into one of the highlights on the WA agriculture calendar."

Although the deadline officially closed on November 7, the organisation is still calling for about 10 more entries.