Producers, processors and butchers come together to recognise excellence in beef quality
The North Queensland Best Beef Awards celebrated another successful year at its annual awards dinner on Friday, 21 August in Yungaburra, showcasing some of North Queensland’s highest-quality beef and the strong partnerships that underpin the local beef industry.
Now in its fifth year, the competition recognises excellence in carcase performance while highlighting the close working relationships between producers, processors and butchers across North Queensland. The majority of cattle entered in the competition are from the Atherton Tablelands and surrounding regions, reflecting the area’s reputation for producing high-quality grass fed beef.
This year, 16 local producers nominated 35 pens of cattle across three competition classes, representing a total of 105 head. The competition is coordinated by the Rocky Creek Abattoir team and follows the same competition assessment criteria used in the national Beef Australia Carcase Competition.
A highlight of this year’s awards dinner was producer guest speaker David Hill, who operates a grazing enterprise at Clarke Creek near Mackay with his family. They target grass fed cattle to meet Meat Standards Australia (MSA) specifications and have an impressive production goal of achieving 95% MSA compliance, a benchmark they have consistently met for several years.
Sharing his experiences with local producers, David spoke about the lessons learned throughout their journey to improve meat quality and carcase performance. He explained that one of the biggest turning points for their business was matching cattle genetics to the capability of their country.
“We were targeting high-growth animals, but our country couldn’t consistently provide the nutrition they needed to perform,” he explained. “While the genetics had potential, the environment wasn’t supporting the outcome we wanted.“
By shifting their breeding focus towards animals that could thrive within their environment, while still delivering high-quality beef, the family began to see significant improvements in performance and market outcomes.
David also shared some practical wisdom when discussing cattle marketing decisions during changing seasonal conditions. Reflecting on advice from his grandfather, he quoted the family motto:
“It’s better to be sorry you sold, than sorry you didn’t.“
He emphasised that looking after the land and maintaining the long-term sustainability of the business was always the top priority.
His final piece of advice to producers looking to improve their own operations was simple: observe what the consistent performers are doing.
“Look across the fence,” he said. “Pay attention to what the winners and regular achievers in carcase competitions are doing and consider how those practices might apply to your own business.“
2026 Award Results
Class 1 (200-280kg) – 5 pens entered
1st Place: Droughtmaster Steers
Exhibitors: Denelle Coutts & Kieran Mouldey
Class 2 (280.1-360kg) – 20 pens entered
1st Place: Ultrablack Steers
Exhibitor: Gordon Carcary
Class 3 (300-420kg) – 10 pens entered
1st Place: Ultrablack Steers
Exhibitor: Gordon Carcary
Highest Individual MSA Index
Shane and Tara Marshall
Mixed Crossbred Steer
MSA Index: 60.76
Grand Champion Pen
Gordon Carcary
Ultrablack Steers
Local winner, Gordon Carcary, who breeds Ultrablack cattle with his family, was thrilled to be awarded this grand champion pen. He his been submitting cattle into the comp for the several years, as Gordon said:
“I believe competition drives improvement.”
The family have also been focusing on improving their genetics for the last ten years, which Gordon reflected “…has started showing in the carcase competition results.” He also mentioned the importance of pasture management, and that “stocking rate is the key for good consistent weight gains when preparing cattle for any competition.”
The overall grand champion pen of Ultrablack steers had an average carcase weight of 316kg, eye muscle area of 86cm2, p8 fat depth of 10mm and an MSA index of 57.37.
Congratulations to Gordon and the Carcary family, along with Fresh Street IGA who had consigned the winning carcases.
The strong field of entries and impressive results continue to demonstrate the commitment of North Queensland producers to delivering high-quality beef and driving continuous improvement across the industry. As the competition enters its sixth year in June 2027, the North Queensland Best Beef Awards remain an important showcase of the region’s beef excellence and the partnerships that make it possible.
Special mention to Cailan and Shannon Byrnes from Rocky Creek Abattoir for continuing to run the competition, to all of the guest speakers and sponsors who support the dinner, and the Queensland DPI who support the competition scoring and data analysis.
