We enter our cattle at our local Crookwell Show in February. We have usually exhibited 4 cows and calves and 2 heifers in the keenly contested Commercial Cattle Section (unled) where there are usually over 50 entries. Our cattle come straight from the paddock with no hand feeding. There are other Murray Grey breeders exhibiting plus a number of exhibitors of other breeds (Angus, Hereford, Limousin, Santa’s) plus crossbreds.

In 2015 the conditions for entry to the Commercial cattle section were altered, prohibiting registered purebred females from entering. Up until this time there was no restriction on purebred cattle and a couple of breeders also exhibited purebred cattle that were run under commercial conditions.

Crookwell Show 2024

We took 5 cows with spring drop calves and 3 autumn drop steers. There were also Hereford and Angus exhibited. Our team collected 5 firsts, 4 seconds, 4 Champions, 2 Reserve Champions, a Grand Champion and the Supreme Champion.  We got a nice red Esky from Elders, but full of Elders promotional material, not liquor.

Crookwell Show 2023

We were the only MG exhibitor and we sent in 5 cows with calves plus 3 steers ~ 400 kg. We had few suitable Grading animals so some purebred females were downgraded to Commercial status to meet the Show Society’s regulations.
There were also Angus and Herefords and some cross bred heifers. Numbers were right down due to seasonal conditions. An Angus breeder won the Supreme Exhibit with a Prime Steer and also most successful exhibitor.  We won:

  • Champion Murray Grey Female
  • Lake Edward Trophy – the female with the greatest capacity to convert grass to beef
  • Champion Crossbred Female
  • Champion Vealer – Mervyn Plumb Perpetual Trophy
  • Prime steer under 400 kg
  • Prime steer over 400 kg (2nd place)
  • Feeder steer suitable for feedlot entry 350 / 450 kg
  • Reserve Champion Prime Steer
A few details:
Cadfor Annette R3 (by Cadfor Falcon N2) with calf, Cadfor T110 (by Cadfor Regal R101)
This young cow was Champion MG female and won the Lake Edward Trophy for us for the 5th time since 2010.
Cadfor Rhonda N361 (by Cadfor Bartel L223) and calf, Cadfor Rhonda T9
This Angus x Murray Grey cow was our best chance to win the Champion Female award. It was a close thing but she was beaten by an Angus cow.
Cadfor Rhonda T9 (by Cadfor Destiny D71)
This heifer won the Champion Vealer and the Mervyn Plumb Memorial perpetual trophy for us for the 6th time since 2010.  Mervyn Plumb was a highly respected breeder who died 20 years ago during the judging at Crookwell Show.

Crookwell Show 2022

After the Show was cancelled in 2021 due to COVID19, we were pleased to take some cattle to the Show in February 2022.  We had no heifers available because we could not access our leased property due to heavy rain in the month before and resultant muddy roads.  We took 7 cow and calf units to the Show to compete against Herefords and Angus.  We won:

  • Champion Pure Bred Commercial female
  • Champion Cross Bred Commercial female
  • Grand Champion Commercial female
  • Lightweight and Heavyweight vealer classes
  • Champion Prime Vealer
  • Reserve Champion Prime Vealer
  • Grand Champion Prime Exhibit
  • Supreme Champion Commercial / Prime Exhibit
  • Lake Edward Trophy for female with greatest capacity to convert grass to beef
  • Most Successful Exhibitor

Some points:
Cadfor Linda M333 won the Champion Female and went on to win the Supreme Champion Exhibit.  Her half sister HR1 Linda K287 had won the Supreme Champion Exhibit in 2020 and 2019.  Her daughter HR1 Linda Q1 won the class for a cow showing no more than 4 teeth at this show.

Crookwell Show 2020

There were only three breeds (Angus, Hereford and Murray Grey) shown in 2020.  Numbers were down slightly due to the seasonal conditions.  We were the only Murray Grey exhibitors.  We were awarded:

  • Champion Pure Bred Commercial female
  • Champion Cross Bred Commercial female
  • Reserve Champion Commercial Heifer
  • Grand Champion Commercial female
  • Champion Prime Vealer
  • Reserve Champion Prime Vealer
  • Commercial Group
  • Reserve Champion Prime Steer
  • Supreme Champion Commercial / Prime Exhibit
  • Lake Edward Trophy for female with greatest capacity to convert grass to beef
  • Most Successful Exhibitor – After 11 years trying, the first time we had won this.

Some points:
Cadfor Linda K287 was the Supreme Exhibit, repeating her win of 2019 (see photo below).   This was the sixth time in 11 years that we were awarded the Supreme Exhibit.
Wallawong Impost, a Commercial Murray Grey, won her cow and calf class and went on to win the Lake Edward Trophy (see photo)with twin steers at foot.  This is the third time we have won this.
Cadfor Dawn Q14 a GR2 heifer out of a first calver was the Champion Vealer winning the Merv Plumb Memorial Trophy, beating the steer opposition.  This was the fifth time we have won this trophy.

Crookwell Show 2019
There were over 80 entries across four breeds – this year there were some Simmentals.  Murray Greys were well represented with over 20 head.  We won:

  • Murray Grey heifer -1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey cow with her calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Champion Murray Grey Female – Cadfor K287 and steer P120
  • Champion Purebred Commercial Female – Cadfor K287
  • Crossbred cow with her calf – 1st
  • Champion Crossbred Female – Cadfor K283 and heifer P24
  • Grand Champion Commercial female – Cadfor K287
  • Champion Commercial Group – Cadfor M334, Cadfor K287, Cadfor P120
  • Lightweight Vealer and Reserve Champion Vealer – Cadfor P24
  • Supreme Champion Commercial / Prime Exhibit – Cadfor K287.

This was the fifth time in 10 years that we have been awarded Supreme Champion.

Cadfor Linda K287 and steer Cadfor P120, Supreme Champions 2019

The most prestigious trophies at Crookwell Show are:

  • The Lake Edward Trophy for the female with the greatest capacity to convert grass to beef, and
  • The Merv Plumb Memorial Trophy for the Champion Vealer.

This year these two trophies were won by a Murray Grey Cow and her stunning 10 month old Grand Champion Vealer calf exhibited by Bill and Sally Bensley.  With those awards the Murray Greys nearly had a clean sweep of the broad ribbons in the Commercial Section, missing only the Champion Heifer award which went to a nice Angus heifer.

Crookwell Show 2018
In the Commercial Section there were only the three breeds – Angus, Hereford and Murray Grey.  We had no steers to take other than those which were calves at foot.  There was some serious competition as always.  We were awarded:

  • Murray Grey female with 4 permanent teeth – 1st and 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow with calf – 1st and 2nd
  • Champion Murray Grey Female  The Supreme Champion Commercial Female was a Hereford.
  • Lightweight vealer – 1st and 2nd   These were 4 month old calves by Banksia Ridge Harry.
  • Reserve Champion Vealer.  The Champion was an Angus heavyweight heifer vealer.

Some very nice Murray Grey steers owned by Bill and Sally Bensley won the steer classes.

Crookwell Show 2016
With the ban on purebred females we exhibited some Angus x Murray Grey females and some grading Murray Grey heifers. We took some MG cows with calves at foot to exhibit their steers calves in the vealer class. There was a total of 78 entries. Breeds represented were Angus, Hereford and Murray Grey. Our results were:

  • Murray Grey Heifer – 1st
  • Murray Grey no more than 4 teeth and calf – 1st
  • Crossbred Heifer – 1st
  • Heavyweight Vealer – 1st
  • Steer under 400 kg, no permanent teeth – 1st and 2nd
  • Lake Edward Trophy for the female with the greatest capacity to convert grass to beef (drawn from both commercial and prime vealer cattle classes).
  • Champion Murray Grey Female
  • Champion Crossbred Female
  • Champion Vealer (Merv Plumb Memorial trophy)

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Receiving the Lake Edward Trophy Crookwell Show 2016.

Crookwell Show 2015
Because we could not exhibit our purebred females we only entered a couple of steers. However, our clients Ian and Wendy Anderson entered some cows of our breeding, one of which took out Champion Murray Grey female and was a close thing to winning the Champion Commercial female.

Crookwell Show 2014
Entries were down a bit in 2014; there were about 70 cattle in the commercial section, with about 50 different entries in 4 breeds plus some crossbreds. We took in 3 cows and calves, 2 heifers and 5 steers. This was the first time we exhibited steers. For the fourth time in 5 years we won the Supreme Commercial Exhibit and this was the first time we won with a cow of our breeding. Having won the Supreme award we will have to pick a different cow next year. We enjoyed exhibiting some steers and will probably try to do it again in future. We were surprised and delighted to have our 6 month old steer win the vealer award and then go on to take Champion Prime Exhibit.

Our 2014 results were:

  • Murray Grey Heifer – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow (no more than 4 teeth) with calf – 1st
  • Murray Grey Cow with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Champion Murray Grey Female (Cadfor Phillipa C129 by Willalooka Xypex and 6 month old heifer calf, Cadfor Phillipa J260 by Cadfor Destiny D71)
  • Champion Commercial Heifer (Cadfor Isobelle G206 by Willalooka Arthur)
  • Champion Commercial Group (Cow, calf and heifer)
  • Grand Champion Purebred Commercial Female
  • Supreme Champion Commercial Female
  • Heavyweight and Champion Vealer (Cadfor Juicy J180 by The Glen Bass F226 out of Cadfor Beroleanne D138)
  • Prime Steer under 400 kg – 1st & 2nd
  • Pen of three Prime Steers under 400 kg – 1st
  • Champion Prime Steer (Cadfor J171)
  • Champion Prime Exhibit (Cadfor Juicy J180)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial and Prime Cattle Exhibit (Cadfor Phillipa C129 and calf)

Our 2013 results were:

  • Murray Grey Heifer – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow (no more than 4 teeth) with calf – 1st
  • Murray Grey Cow with calf – 1st
  • Champion Murray Grey Female (Wallawong Dawn 26th with her 6 month old calf Cadfor Dawn H247 by Yamba Waratah)
  • Champion Commercial Heifer (Cadfor Isabelle G206 BF by Willalooka Arthur)
  • Grand Champion Purebred Commercial Female (Wallawong Dawn 26th and calf)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial Female
  • Champion Commercial Group (Cow, calf and heifer)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial and Prime Cattle Exhibit (Wallawong Dawn 26th and calf)

Our 2012 results were:

  • Murray Grey Heifer – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow (no more than 4 teeth) with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Champion Murray Grey Female (Cadfor Phillipa D129 with her 10 month old calf Cadfor Phillipa G207 by Willalooka Arthur A598)
  • Champion Commercial Heifer (Cadfor Linda F185 by Willalooka Arthur)
  • Champion Commercial Group (Cow, calf and heifer)

Our 2011 results were:

  • Murray Grey Heifer – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow (no more than 4 teeth) with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Champion Murray Grey Female (Willalooka Y997 with her 6 month old calf Cadfor Kate F194 by Wallawong Rocket)
  • Grand Champion Commercial Female (Purebred)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial Female
  • Champion Commercial Group (Cow, calf and heifer)
  • All breeds vealer – 1st (7 month steer HR1 F111 by Wallawong Rocket out of Cadfor Ushi D140 by Willalooka Arthur)
  • Champion vealer (Mervyn Plumb Perpetual Trophy)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial and Prime Cattle Exhibit (Willalooka Y997 and calf)

Our 2010 results were:

  • Murray Grey Heifer – 1st & 2nd
  • All Breeds Reserve Champion Heifer (Champion was a Santa Gertrudis)
  • Murray Grey Cow (no more than 4 teeth) with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Murray Grey Cow with calf – 1st & 2nd
  • Champion Murray Grey Female (Yamba Bluebell Z24 with her 9 month old calf Cadfor E89 by Willalooka Arthur)
  • Grand Champion Commercial Female (Purebred)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial Female
  • Best Female bred by Exhibitor residing in Crookwell Shire
  • Champion Commercial Group (Cow, calf and heifer)
  • Lake Edward Trophy for the female with the greatest capacity to convert grass to beef (drawn from both commercial and prime vealer cattle classes).
  • All breeds heifer vealer – 2nd (Limousin cross calf won class)
  • All breeds steer vealer – 1st (Cadfor E89)
  • Champion vealer (Mervyn Plumb Perpetual Trophy)
  • Supreme Champion Commercial and Prime Cattle Exhibit (Yamba Bluebell Z24)

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Willalooka Y997, Supreme Commercial Exhibit Crookwell Show 2011, with her calf Cadfor Kate F194 by Wallawong Rocket

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Wallawong Dawn 26th, Supreme Commercial Exhibit Crookwell Show 2013, with her 6 month old calf Cadfor Dawn H247 by Yamba Waratah

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Cadfor Phillipa C129, Supreme Commercial Exhibit Crookwell Show 2014, and her 6 month old heifer calf, Cadfor Phillipa J260 by Cadfor Destiny D71