THE Scots All Saints College cattle team steered their way to success at the Sydney Royal Easter Show over the weekend.
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The team won both the champion heavyweight steer and champion school steer at the show, beating 31 steers from other schools across the state.
The 626-kilogram heavyweight champion steer was bred by Wilworril Limousins and was sold as one of the top-priced steers at $10 per kilo.
Scots All Saints College agriculture teacher Libby Dawes, who was the farm and cattle co-ordinator at Scots for 11 years before the merger with All Saints' College, said the students handled the steers for quite some time.
"We've been handling them since they were weaned," Ms Dawes said. "Due to the drought, they came in quite early, so we put them on to oat crop and then fedlot them quite early."
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Thirty students ranging from year eight to year 12 travelled to Sydney after six months of hard work preparing the steers for display and Ms Dawes said they deserved the results.
"Twenty of the 22 steers we took down came home with places in the top five," Ms Dawes said.
Some of the steers that were home-bred at the school put on a prize-winning performance.
"One of our home-bred steers came second in one of the heavyweight classes out of 39 steers, which was really good," Ms Dawes said.
Another winner was student Sacha Spence, who won the junior parader prize.
A steer bred by Flemington Limousins also took out first place for the viewers' choice.
Ms Dawes said the students in the cattle team learn vital teamwork, maturity and leadership skills through the program.
"To get broadribbons at big shows that get a lot of bulls and open competitors, they get a big buzz out of it," she said.
With the prizemoney, the students plan to pay for expensive grain to feed the cattle, and even purchase two more heifers to improve the school's stud.
The team will show off their cattle in two weeks at the Royal Bathurst Show.
