Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – Christi Grobbelaar last Wednesday at Gobabis was crowned first winner in the on the hoof category of Agra’s saughter ox competition for 2018.
This year marks the third year of the competition. It is the first time that the competition is expanded to Gobabis. Tomorrow the competition moves to Nina, then Otjiwarongo on June 26, Aub on July 4 and Windhoek on July 17, where more winners will be crowned. Overall winners will only be crowned at the end of the competition after the oxen have been judged on their carcass qualities.
To participate in the competition each producer must enter two animals to be judged on their hooves and carcass.
For the hoof category, key aspects for judging comprise age, fatness, masculinity, temperament, as well as good farming practices such as branding, dehorning, among others. These constitute 40% of the total points. On the carcass, the cattle will compete on the quality of meat, which constitutes 60% of the total points.
The competition forms part of the initiative to provide ox producers with a platform to compete in an organised competition and compare the quality of their animals to those of other producers, similar to the Agra weaner competition.
All animals are slaughtered at the Beefcor abattoir in Okahandja, which also supplies steak at all the competition points for a braai for participants and sponsors.