Mr Hodge, who has previously won the Noorat Show carcass competition three times, took out the Grand Champion ribbon in the 2015 On the Hoof section that was judged on Monday.

Mr Hodge said the winning steer was less than 17 months old and had received some supplementary feeding in autumn before being grass fed from May.

The champion was from a group of three that won that section for Mr Hodge.

The reserve champion was a 15 month old Angus steer from Andrew Jackson of Toolong Angus at Woolsthorpe.

The Angus steer also won the competition Class 3 for cattle weighing between 501-600 kilograms.

Toolong Angus has been operating for about 40 years but this year was the first time it had entered into the Noorat Show carcass competition.

Mr Jackson said he decided to enter the competition this year because he had two steers that had grown well.

Nitrogen application to pastures and supplementary feeding had helped produced the quality animals, he said.

One steer had gone to the carcass competition and the other to the competition’s inaugural eating quality competition.

The competition this year attracted 48 entries and one of the two judges, Garry Chisholm of Chisholm Livestock Services, said the quality of entries was excellent.

The grand champion winner was a quality animal with great confirmation that would yield well, Mr Chisholm said. 

The reserve champion would also hang up well, he said.

Entries in the competition were processed on Wednesday at Geelong and the On The Hook results will determine the competition’s overall winner to be announced at the Noorat Show dinner on Friday, November 27.

This year’s carcass competition also includes an eating quality competition that has attracted 12 entries.

Two steaks from each animal be judged at the show dinner on Friday November 27.  

In other results from the live judging, Jason Swayne from Purrumbete Angus at Weerite won the 310-400kg Class 1 with a Hereford/Angus cross and the 401-500kg Class 2 with a Hereford/Simmental/Shorthorn cross.