Commercial Performance of  
 Red Poll Cattle as a Pure Breed
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Commercial Performance

Red Poll steers have demonstrated an ability to suit a range of markets. They can be sold straight off their mothers as vealers, or alternatively they can be grass fed or lot fed to suit the domestic supermarket trade, the Korean market or even the Japanese market for heavyweight steers and bullocks. The ability of Red Poll steers to suit a number of markets is well established. Compared to other breeds, only a small number of Red Poll steers are entered in carcass competitions each year. However, their results are consistently good with high scoring and winning carcass far exceeding their numerical strength. In recent years, Red Poll steers have won numerous carcass competitions throughout Australia, including the following.
 
Red Poll Carcase Class winner at the Royal Adelaide Show

· Champion and Reserve Champion carcass, South Australia state carcass competition.
· Champion and Reserve Champion carcass, Adelaide Royal Show.
· Champion heavyweight carcass, Sydney Royal Show.
· Champion pen of three sires progeny steers, Dubbo National Steer Show.
· Champion carcass, Albury Show Society Carcass Competition.
· Stock Journal (South Australia) Trophy for purebred supplementary steers
(won for six consecutive years).
· Grand Champion and Champion Domestic Carcase, Melbourne Royal Show 2001
· Champion Open Trade Carcase, Adelaide Royal 2001
· Champion School Trade Carcase, Adelaide Royal 2001
· Champion Carcase at Jamestown, 2001
· First place, pair of steers, Gippsland Field Days Steer Trial 2001 - 2002.
· Champion & Two Reserve Champion carcasses, Goulburn 2002.
· First place, Pen of three steers over the hook, Goulburn 2002.
· Champion Lightweight Steer, Adelaide Royal 2002.
· Champion Purebred Export Feedlot pen of steers, Adelaide Royal 2002.
· Reserve Champion Crossbred Export Feedlot Steer, Adelaide Royal 2002.
· Best feed conversion & daily weight gain, Adelaide Feedlot 2002.
· Grand Champion Carcase Whittlesea 2003.
· Champion Domestic Carcase Adelaide Royal 2003.
· Domestic Feedlot Championship (team of 3) Adelaide Royal 2003.
· Champion and Highest Scoring Feed Lot Carcase Adelaide Royal 2003.  

Cattle breeders, feedloters and butchers around Australia recognise the excellent qualities of Red Poll steers. The performance of these steers is proof of their excellence.

Red Poll grain Fed Steers

Success at Paddock to Palate Competitions

Three National Paddock to Palate Competitions have now been held at Adelaide in November,1999, Casino in May 2000 and the final was held in Brisbane on January 25, 2001, followed by the "Masters of Beef" Grand Final which concluded the campaign.

Red Poll gained a Silver Medal for Best Yearling Beef at Adelaide and this year were very successful at Brisbane, winning 10 major awards.

The Supreme Beef Awards as follows:

· Feedlot Category - Gold
· Blade Roast- Gold
· Blade Roast- 2 Silver
· Mature Beef- Silver
· Breed Category- Silver
· Feedlot Category - Silver
· Blade Roast- Bronze
· Breed Category- Bronze

Crossbreeding

Red Poll bulls have been widely used in Australian beef herds to improve milk production in crossbred females and to introduce the normally dominant poll gene. They are still being used for this purpose today.

In many areas three-way crosses are made by mating herds of Red Poll/Hereford and Red Poll/Shorthorn females with Angus or Limousin bulls to produce top quality vealer calves for the domestic market.

Red Poll females can also form the basis of a simple 2-way cross when mated to Limousin, Simmental or Charolais bulls to produce heavy vealers or supermarket steers.

In northern NSW and southern Queensland Red Poll bulls can help breeders target specific market segments when mated to a European-British breed cross. For example mating a Red Poll bull to Simmental/Hereford cross cows to help keep the maturity of the calves in the early-medium range, and in the heavy vealer category.

Use of Salers cattle as the European component of a Red Poll/Euro cross has seen the solid red colour of both breeds retained, and added some flexibility with respect to heavier finished weights, such as those suitable for supermarket or restaurant trade.

In Queensland Red Polls are used in upgrading programs of Bos indicus breeds to introduce the poll gene, add "softness", improve fertility and milking ability and to "tidy up" loose sheaths and briskets.

Red Poll X Santa Gertrudis(X Brahman)
Red Poll X Braford heifer

  Red Poll X Santa Gertrudis(X Brahman) calves Red Polls add softness to Bos Indicus type cattle and carry the dominant poll gene that eliminates horn damage to carcass and hide.
Red Poll X Braford heifer. This sort of cross maintains relatively early maturity in the vealer category and carries the hornless poll gene.

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