Murray Grey Newsbrief

March 2009

In this issue:

1. Beef Expo Week
2. Indentification of Murray Grey sired heifers and steers
3. Canada World Congress 2010, Calgary Alberta, Canada
4. Council Elections
5. MURRAY GREY SUCCESS AT BEST OF BEEF FEILDING
6. Murray Grey placings at Best of Beef

BEEF WEEK and AGM
This years BEEF EXPO, to be held in Feilding May 10 -13 will not be featuring any Murray Grey bulls. However, as a promotion for the breed, it has been arranged that a Feilding Restaurant, Focal Point, 81 Manchester Street, will serve Murray Grey steak for the week of the Expo.

It has also been arranged that Write Price Feilding will sell Murray Grey beef for the week and it will be labelled accordingly and displays will be put up in the shop and the restaurant.

The AGM is to be held at Focal Point on Tuesday 12th May at 5pm.
Please attend this meeting if you can as it is always a struggle to have enough members present to enable the meeting to go ahead.

The Annual dinner will follow the meeting at Focal Point Restaurant at 7pm.

Please confirm that you will attend the AGM and dinner with Lindy Lawrence at PBB by the previous Friday the 8th May. Cost $31.00 per person, to be paid to the restaurant on the night.

Identification of Murray Grey Sired Heifers and Steers
To enable sourcing of Murray Grey sired heifers and steers requires correct identification of animals at stock sales to meet the requirement for branded meat. This is particularly the case in the Waikato region for the Fieldays at Mystery Creek and sale through Tokoroa New World.
Large Yellow Allflex secondary tags can be purchased through the PBB office with the wording:
Murray Grey X - Charge $1.70
The charge does not include a number on the tag, but there will be a blank space for a number to be hand written.

Canadian World Congress 2010, Calgary Alberta, Canada
We have received a communication from the organising committee asking that those intending to attend the Congress to let them know. It is important that they know they have enough interest to go ahead with the Congress in these difficult economic times.
You are requested to respond by visiting the CMGA website at http:www.cdnmurraygrey.ca/ and follow the instructions there.
If you do not have access to the internet please contact Lindy at PBB and let her know.

Council Elections
There will be no need for an election as the nominations did not exceed the number of vacancies.

MURRAY GREY SUCCESS
AT BEST OF BEEF FEILDING

The Feilding I.A & P run an All Breeds beef cattle competition in conjunction with the Central Districts Field days at Manfeild in March. This year there were a good number of entries in both the Registered Beef breeds and Alternative breeds competitions. In addition there was a class for led steers which are going forward to the Future beef steer competition which will be held in conjunction with Beef Expo bull sale in May with classes for Junior handlers, the steers were also judged on their carcase attributes on the hoof.

Two Murray Grey breeders, from Levin and Hawkes Bay, entered the pure bred classes and two from Feilding and Hawkes Bay entered steers in the led competition and all Murray Grey exhibitors won placings, much to the delight of a large crowd of spectators and other breeders present.

Favourable comments from the three breed judges, on the structure and attributes of the Murray Greys presented and from Bruce Orr who did a great job on the commentators’ microphone, acknowledged the beef attributes of the breed.

Placings were obtained in all classes the Murray Greys entered, against a strong field of Simmentals and Herefords and classes of up to 11 animals per class. The commentator felt that the classes, especially the cow and calf class, was one of the strongest, including the Royal Show, of any in New Zealand this season.

Murray Grey placings were as follows:
ALLBREEDS Bull calf
“Sires of the future” 1st place Trevor and Sue Clarkes Yorkvale Dijon

ALLBREEDS Heifer Calf
“Stars of the Future” 3rd place Trevor and Sue Clarke’s Yorkvale Dandelion.

ALLBREEDS Yearling Heifer
“Genetics of the future” 1st Craig and Vicki Sievers Pineridge Kawaka and 4th Pineridge Totora

ALLBREEDS Yearling Pairs
1st Craig and Vicki Sievers pair of yearling heifers.

ALLBREEDS Cow and calf
“Superior Maternal Genetics” 1st Trevor and Sue Clarke Yorkvale Xalt with calf Y.Dijon at foot.

Meat and Wool Cup
Runner up to the Supreme Champion of the show, a yearling Simmental bull belonging to Tony Thompson was Yorkvale Xalt, the Senior Cow Champion belonging to T & S Clarke.
MURRAY GREY BRED STEERS PLACED AS FOLLOWS:
The led Steer class had a strong entry of at least 20 animals, with Angus and Angus crosses, Herefords and Salers entered plus 6 Murray Grey pure breds and cross breds owned by Barry and Bebette Buchanan of Feilding and one MG cross from Craig and Vicki Sievers Hawkes Bay.

Murray Grey Placings
Novice Handlers
1st Alex Meads with Buddy MG crossbred
2nd Michael O’Callaghan with Chocolate MG purebred
 
Intermediate  Handlers
1st Michael O’Callaghan with Chocolate MG purebred
2nd Alex Meads with Buddy MG crossbred
4th Prue Harris with Tiko MG purebred
 
Senior  Handler
1st Trudy Robertson with Chocolate MG purebred
 
Steers judged on the Hoof 
1st Chocolate led by Michael O’Callaghan MG purebred
2nd Biggles led by Barry Buchanan MG purebred 
4th Stumpy led by Sam Mason MG/X