Future Beef Leaders Shine: 2024 Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course Scholarship Recipients Share Their Experiences

The Angus Foundation is proud to support the next generation of beef industry professionals having awarded the 2024 Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course Scholarships to Alice Baty, Ashlea Cross, Archie Davidson, Toreen Denyer, and Thomas Hayward. These five outstanding individuals recently attended Australia’s most practical beef cattle selection course, gaining invaluable skills and insights that will shape their futures in the industry.
Organised by the Angus New South Wales Committee, the Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course is a highly regarded program that attracts participants from all experience levels for an immersive, hands-on learning experience. Over two days, attendees learned to assess Bos Taurus, Bos Indicus, and crossbred cattle, guided by industry-leading overjudges known for their expertise and effective communication.
As scholarship recipients, Alice, Ashlea, Archie, Toreen, and Thomas are now equipped with practical knowledge that enhances their understanding of the beef industry, providing a strong foundation for their careers. Read on below as they share their experiences and key takeaways from this transformative event.
Image Caption: Ashlea Cross, Archie Davidson, Toreen Denyer, Thomas Hayward & Alice Baty at the 2024 Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course
Attending the Tocal Beef School this year was an invaluable experience. It was a full-on three days where each participant was given a crash course in the Australian cattle industry exploring every single aspect. This course’s commercial and practical focus was why I would recommend it to anyone within the industry. The course has significantly opened my eyes to what more I need to learn and improve on but also techniques that can be utilised for more accurate cattle selection.
Without this Scholarship from Angus Australia, I would not have travelled across the ditch from New Zealand to come to Tocal. So firstly, I must say a massive thank you to Angus Australia for supporting me and giving me this opportunity.
The course was split over 3 days. Day 1 gave all participants an introduction to the course. We met all the participants by introducing ourselves and our backgrounds, we also had a lecture on cattle markets and were told about Meat Standards Australia. Even though this was not as hands-on as the next two days it was extremely important, especially for me to get up to scratch about the Australian cattle market which is very different from NZ. Learning about the different requirements for the short-fed vs long-fed markets to the domestic supermarket was extremely interesting. It allowed me to get the most out of the next two days as these market specifications were the basis for the scenarios used in days 2 and 3. Learning about the functions behind Meat Standards Australia was also extremely interesting. Seeing a system that is based on so much science to ensure that the customer has the best eating experience possible was impressive and great to learn about.
Days 2 and 3 like day 1 had elements of lectures on topics like EBVS and structural assessment but were predominantly practical in the cattle yard days. Despite being challenging this was the part of the course I enjoyed the most. Classes ranged from selecting the best animals for different programs relating to the different market parameters we talked about in day one. This really highlighted the breadth of the Australian cattle market. At one moment we were selecting animals for a long-feed export market and then we were selecting animals for the grass-fed domestic market. Each animal has certain characteristics that make it desirable for each market. Being able to learn how to select on each was extremely rewarding and created more clarity around the Australian markets.
Outside of the cattle yards and the classrooms it was great to meet so many like minded people. Talking about their programs and breeding objectives was awesome. It was also great to talk about the New Zealand Farming system we are running in and seeing the similarities and differences we all face.
Overall, the Tocal Beef Class Assessment School was an extremely rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone thinking of attending. Having a place where so many industry experts are together in the same room teaching you about cattle does not come around often and it was amazing to be exposed to it. Thank you to all involved, especially Angus Australia for the scholarship.
As a recipient of one of the Angus Youth Foundation scholarships, I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course. It was an incredible experience that I certainly will never forget.
I applied for the course with the goal of improving my cattle assessment skills, particularly in evaluating steers and heifers for different markets and refining my judgment on breeding animals. Though I don’t own cattle, the knowledge I gained has proven incredibly valuable in my role as a sales representative at Genetics Australia.
The course structure was highly effective, with a combination of theory classes, practical judging sessions based on industry scenarios, and group discussions. Over the course of three intensive days, we focused on key areas such as carcass, structure, maturity pattern and condition assessment, to identify cattle that best suit specific market requirements across commercial cattle and breeding animals.
The learning environment was intensive and engaging, allowing us to apply what we learned in practical judging classes. I saw a vast improvement in my decision making and cattle assessment skills from day 1 to day 3. I found the format of the course beneficial, as it provided the opportunity to ask questions and discuss reasoning with the overjudges and fellow participants. The course was fantastic opportunity to network with others, exchanging experiences and gaining insights from different career paths within the beef cattle industry.
Since completing the course, I have already noticed a significant difference in my confidence and ability to perform my sales role. The knowledge gained at Tocal has enabled me to better assist producers in selecting semen sires suitable for their specific markets and breeding objectives.
The Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course was an invaluable learning experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their cattle assessment skills or gain a deeper understanding of the beef industry. The course provides the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions and contribute more effectively to the beef sector. It has been a significant step in enhancing my professional abilities and has already had a positive impact on my role with Genetics Australia.
The Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment course provided a comprehensive approach to evaluating beef cattle for breeding and commercial purposes. Held at the Tocal Agricultural college, known for its excellent facilities, the course focused on practical skills and data driven decision making, covering topics such as animal structure, Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), market targeting, and herd optimization. The over judges were excellent at teaching a wide range of participants, ensuring that both beginners and more experienced individuals gained valuable insights into what the course had to offer.
Key learning outcomes:
Conclusion
The course greatly enhanced my ability to evaluate cattle for both breeding and commercial purposes. The practical insights gained in EBVs, market targeting, and animal structure will help me make more informed decisions to optimize herd performance and profitability. The over judges were highly effective in teaching a wide range of participants, ensuring everyone walked away with useful skills. The facilities at the Tocal college provided an ideal environment for developing both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience. I would like to thank all that put into making the three days so successful and for all the course organisers and planners who put so much into making sure the event ran so smoothly. I would also like to offer special thanks to all the farmers who not only donated their cattle but trucked them to the college for all contestants to observe and make judgements on.
Thanks to Angus Australia’s sponsorship, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Beef Cattle Assessment course at Tocal in 2024. There was a strong lineup of guest speakers and overjudges, with knowledge of the whole supply chain. Amongst peers there was a broad range of backgrounds, some of which having barely any experience at all and others who have been working in the agricultural industry all their lives. This course has allowed me to make lifelong connections within the industry, with people from all across Australia and even overseas attending. We learned about all aspects of beef cattle production, from conception to consumption. The course was balanced with both practical and theory sessions.
On the first day, we gathered into a lecture room and gave a brief introduction to our peers, about ourselves and what we want to get out of the course. We then questioned and analysed our own production systems and target markets, after receiving an overview on the different types of markets and specifications required to meet those markets. We also learned about Body Condition Scoring and how to assess an animal based on its fat and muscle content. After listening to the speakers and reading through the handout guides, we put our new skills into practise, judging mobs of cattle to best suit a particular market e.g. is the beast conditioned enough for slaughter? After a little refresh and dinner, we combined into the lecture room to hear from a Meat Standards Australia (MLA) representative about Meat Standards Australia (MSA) and their influence within the industry. This session was heavily based on meat production and how producers can improve their carcase results. We learned about the different tests and scoring the carcase endures to determine if it will reach an MSA product. This was a very insightful evening, having both MLA and peers share conversations on different topics within the red meat industry.
The next day we were straight into the heat of December under the arena, judging more pens of cattle based on their merit in the scenario we were given. These scenarios really made us think about their current condition, maturity pattern, frame and breed traits and to compare it to what animal would best meet market specifications in x number of days. We were then put under the air conditioner in the classroom, to learn about the importance of structure and how to score the feet of cattle. This session highlighted the impact that structure has on longevity, fertility, mobility and the overall health of your herd. The course focused on both sides of beef production, both the breeding attributes and the meat production/carcase quality. After learning about the phenotype of cattle, we then deepened our understanding by delving into their genotype. We then looked at Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), determining how to utilise them in our own enterprises and why they are important. Us students were split into groups and given a scenario, we had to select the best bull for the scenario after looking at his data set and analysing the traits we wanted to focus on e.g. growth, imf, ema. Then we were back outside in the ring to judge more animals, except this time we had all the new components we had learned regarding structure to look for, as well as having to compare the physical animal against its EBVs.
Our final day began in the yards, assessing maternal stock for both terminal and replacement herds. These classes were interesting as we were given the opportunity to look at cow and calf pairs, as well as heifers. We then judged bulls which were provided with EBVs. As a collective, we then drafted a mob into keepers and culls, with the speakers highlighting the importance of being able to determine to profitability and production of animal compared to those in its mob. We learned about benchmarking our own business, to understand how well we are achieving compared to others within the industry, through looking at saleyard reports or conception rates or carcase feedback. I was fortunate enough to have my points from throughout the three days of judging accumulate into the top ten, where I was given the chance to speak to my peers on a class of bulls and explain how and why I placed them the way I did.
This course has given me a wealth of knowledge, resources, connections, and practical skills I will use as I further my career within the beef industry. There was a mixture of quality and breeds within the classes, which allowed everyone to realise the difference in characteristics between Bos Indicus and the European and British breeds. The speakers and overjudges did an excellent job at covering so many aspects of the supply chain and giving every participant the opportunity to ask questions and improve their understanding. I would recommend this course to anyone, regardless of your prior knowledge or experience, there is definitely lots of key points to take home and implement within your business after completing these three days.
December 2024 saw the annual Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course in which I was fortunate enough to attend, sponsored by Angus Australia. The course covered a range of topics both on a theory and practical basis.
I was looking forward to attending the course due to not having experience with judging cattle based on market and theoretical information. Consideration of EBV data and market utilisation were main points for which I learnt to be able to focus on when assessing cattle.
After theory sessions, we took part in multiple mock judging sessions, assessing a range of cattle including: steers, bulls, cows, heifers, and calves. The course was intensive and at times daunting, however engaging myself within the judging and trying to apply all theory which we had learnt I think made the experience the most rewarding.
The course was also a chance to meet many other like-minded people and professionals within the beef industry. All Tocal committee and Angus Australia staff were extremely welcoming and accommodating for a range of people with varying levels of experience and knowledge. After completing the course, I now feel confident that I could distinguish clear differences between beef cattle, involving both structure and data and to justify which market they would be best suited to with supporting reasoning around their body composition.
Attending the Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment Course is a profound way to understand multiple topics and markets considerations within the Angus and beef industry and to physically understand and learn how to judge both Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus cattle. I believe prior knowledge within the industry and cattle anatomy is a benefit, however not crucial. My personal highlight was the focus on market specifications within the Australian Beef market and the end product for which you are assessing your desired cattle for. I thank Angus Australia for the opportunity and the recommend the course to anybody else interested.