Rural
5 July, 2023
Somerset siblings impress at beef show at Rocky
Toogoolawah-based siblings Clancie and Dusty Düll were among 150 attendees between the ages of 4 and 25 to take part in the Rockhampton Junior Beef Show from June 27 to 29.
Clancie and Dusty took a team of five show steers, and also loaned three steers to friends Emmett, Darcy and Fletcher Skillington, from Dalveen.
The Düll steers had great success, picking up first and second placings in each class and ultimately taking out Champion Steer of the show.
In the 12-14 year age group, Clancie was awarded first in stud cattle judging and fourth age champion.
Dusty featured in paraders, stud cattle judges, and age champion in the 10-12 year age group, with third placings all-round.
Clancie and Dusty have travelled with their family to compete many times on the show circuit each year, with a team of home bred and purchased led steers.
Last year the siblings competed in a couple of cattle youth camps at Pittsworth and Toogoolawah, before their recent trip up north was the first time they competed in Rockhampton.
Clancie and Dusty said shows and youth camps provided a great opportunity to learn more about the beef industry, including several things ranging from handling of cattle, breeding, showing, judging, carcase markets, and much more.
Clancie and Dusty said the knowledge they gained from an event like the one at Rockhampton was endless.
“High level guest speakers give up their time to educate us in all factors of beef,” they said.
“It’s a fantastic way to meet new people, learn from others, collaborate ideas working in teams, and building confidence.”
Clancie thoroughly enjoyed the session conducted by Toogoolawah local Tammie Robinson, who covered a judging tutorial.
Clancie returned home with a lot of valuable information that will improve her knowledge and confidence in this area.
The Toogoolawah siblings also gained a lot of information on the topic of importance of farm safety chemical practices, personal protective equipment, contamination, illness spread in herds, and bull fertility.
Dusty’s favourite session by far was branding, as attendees not only learned about the symbols but were able to brand on a real hide.
Many evening activities were conducted within groups, including being given a random item such as a light bulb, tin of baked beans, tube of silicone, or a piece of poly pipe.
As a team, they had to work together and promote and sell this item to the crowd.
This was quite a difficult job considering the items provided, but it was very humorous to see what ideas the teams came up with.
Clancie and Dusty have nearly completed the show season for this year, with the Gatton Show coming up at the end of July.
The Toogoolawah siblings also hope to attend cattle camps later in the year, as they said the most enjoyable things about these camps included gaining confidence and knowledge, as well as making some great mates along the way.
