KEVIN Graham says Red Polls are the most underrated beef cattle breed in Australia.
And he has the carcase competition success to back up his claim.
He has won five grand champion carcases at the Royal Adelaide Show led steer competition with steers from his Virangra Red Poll stud at Petersville on Yorke Peninsula, including three in the past four years.
Last year he achieved an incredible feat, owning all three steers in the Red Poll breed's winning led steer team.
One of these steers, the 525 kilogram liveweight Kev - exhibited by Maitland Area School - won the domestic heavyweight and grand champion on-hoof ribbon, and was judged grand champion carcase.
Its carcase had 99 square centimetres of eye muscle area, 10 millimetres of P8 fat and a Meat Standards Australia marbling score of 270. It scored 87.257 points.
"It was a dream come true to win all three awards," Kevin said.
"We had nine steers to choose from in the paddock so there was a bit of luck too," he said.
Kevin has been a regular exhibitor of led steers at the Royal for about 40 years, winning his first champion carcase ribbon in 1997.
He has donated many steers to schools, including Maitland Area School which exhibits one nearly every year.
In the upcoming 2014 competition he has three steers at Maitland, Naracoorte High School and Trinity College, Gawler, but he has also had steers prepared by Balaklava and Snowtown schools over the years.
The stud herd comprises about 60 Red Poll females which along with a self-replacing Merino flock are run on 324 hectares.
The remaining 567ha of the property is cropped.
The farm is run by Kevin's eldest daughter Virginia and her husband Andrew Rowntree.
Virangra was founded in 1965.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 28, 2014 issue.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
