Strathtay Trophy honours for McGregors

The Strathtay Trophy was established by the late Jack Young, Strathtay Angus stud, Narrogin and is presented annually by the WA Angus Society chairman.

The trophy is awarded in recognition of an individual or groups achievement in promoting the Angus breed, by means of success in exhibiting, sale or purchase of stud or commercial stock; or setting an outstandingly high standard in their chosen field, thereby earning the respect of Angus breeders generally.

WA Angus Society chairwoman Liz Sudlow said Jim and Pam McGregor were deserving of the 2020 award given it was their last full year as studmasters of their Ardcairnie stud.

"The award is for all that they have done, as a team for their beloved Angus stud, at their Kojonup property," Ms Sudlow said.

"I think it's true to say most stud breeders are a little obsessed and they are certainly no exception.

"The passion they still possess for the Angus breed and certainly for the WA committee is quite simply, a credit to them.

"They are both still willing to share their views and contribute fully in everything that happens.

"When we didn't have a secretary at one of our meetings earlier in the year, which was a few days before their sale, Pam volunteered to take the minutes, it just represented what Pam is all about.

"When it comes to Jim, he is truly committed to the finer details of breeding and analysing data and he is capable of talking most of us under the table about various technicalities.

"Together they also contributed to the preparation of the WA Angus BJD submission during the year, and also submitted one of their own."

The McGregors are no strangers to winning the trophy, they have both won it individually previously.

Mr McGregor won it in 1997 while his wife won it in 1991 and 2008.

The 2020 win for the McGregors marks a nice way for them to go out of cattle breeding as they will host their final on-property bull sale next week (Tuesday, February 4) before retiring to Harvey.

The McGregors announced the sale of their stud herd to the Dewar family, Guilderton, in October after their property 'Maybenup' was sold at auction to a syndicate of local buyers.

Ardcairnie is one of WA's long-established Angus studs.

It was founded in the mid 1980s on females from the Strathtay and Moojepin studs and over the years, bulls have been bought in to add diversity, most recently from Koojan Hills, Blackrock and Coonamble studs, as well as using AI sires from the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Over the years the McGregors embraced the use of Angus Group Breedplan from its early days giving Estimated Breeding Values and $Indexes for all animals.

This objective data was valued and was used by the McGregors to progress their breeding objectives and to benchmark their cattle against the national herd.

Also at the meeting two 25-year membership awards to Angus Australia were also awarded.

The first was awarded to Alcoa Farmlands, Wagerup and Pinjarra, which runs a breeding herd of more than 3000 Angus females.

The operation has a winter calving and has in recent years marketed its calves through the Boyanup saleyards starting in March each year for a few months.

Alcoa Farmlands manager Vaughn Byrd said the operation's aim was to breed an animal which was suitable for both the grain and grassfed markets.

"We want to breed quiet animals with good muscling (high EMA) and high marbling (IMF) to meet the needs of the local slaughter markets," Mr Byrd said.

When selecting bulls the operation focuses on 200 and 400-day weights, eye muscle area (EMA), intramuscular fat (IMF) and docility.

Alcoa Farmlands has also been a recipient of the Strathtay Trophy, winning it in 2006.

The second 25-year membership award went to Richard Davy, Windi Windi Pastoral, Mettler.

Mr Davy said he liked the Angus breed for its depth of genetics and marketing ability.