EXPLOSIVE by name and nature, Mark and Sheryl Atkinson's senior Angus bull, Carrington Park Explosive C25, blew the competition away in this year's Royal Melbourne Show.
For the Atkinsons, of Drouin South, the champion interbreed beef title reinforced their decision to import semen and secure the Australian rights to the bull's US sire, MF Destroyer 093.
"We've seen the sire in America - he's soft, thick and balanced and represents the direction we are moving in with our breeding," Mr Atkinson said. "We believe Destroyer has a lot to offer our industry."
At 24 months, Explosive weighed in at 964kg, scanned 108 square centimetres for eye muscle area and 10mm and 9mm for rib and rump fat respectively.
The bull had estimated breeding values of +6.1kg for birth weight, +90kg for 600 day weight and +2.2 square cm for eye muscle area and was awarded the major prize by judge Rob Sinnamon, from Baryulgil, NSW, for "commercial relevance and breeding power".
The Atkinsons have joined the sire to heifers and are awaiting their first calves.
"We had to get the vet out to him last night for a bacterial infection and so are relieved as well as excited to pick up our first interbreed sash," Mrs Atkinson said.
The Atkinsons enjoyed the publicity from showing one of the largest teams at Melbourne this year - 10 head plus two small calves.
"It's been the product of a lot of hard work and dedication - we didn't always get blue ribbons and we have had to start at the bottom with showing and work our way up," Mrs Atkinson said.
"Showing gives us a chance to display our cattle and get an idea of how we are breeding compared to other breeders."
Explosive emerged as the top animal in the shed from 510 entries from 27 breeds and 175 exhibitors judged over five days.
Greg and Mary Withers, of Donna Valley Limousins, Holbrook, NSW, exhibited the junior champion bull, 12-month-old Donna Valley Poll Dictator.
The champion cow award was claimed by the Muller family, of Mount Gambier, South Australia, with four-year-old Simmental dam Rellum Farms Tabatha, shown with a bull calf. K.O. Angus, of Bowral, NSW, won champion heifer with the result of a fully imported Angus embryo, 12-month-old K.O. Everelda Entense.
