“The result of checking cattle every day and giving wholehearted care”… Oh Heung-seok farm crowned champion at the ‘1st Daegu-Gyeongbuk Hanwoo Performance Evaluation Contest’

“I once again felt that what matters most is the process of checking the cattle every day, trying not to miss even the smallest changes, and managing them with wholehearted care.”

This was the acceptance remark from farmer Oh Heung-seok of Gyeongju, who took the honorable first place (Gyeongbuk Governor’s Award) at the 1st 2026 Daegu-Gyeongbuk Hanwoo Performance Evaluation Contest. His son, Oh Do-hoon, who attended on behalf of his father Oh Heung-seok, said immediately after the award, “This prize is not the result of my efforts alone, and I sincerely thank my family, who have always been by my side and given me strength, as well as everyone at Gyeongju TMF who reliably supplied good feed,” and read his father’s remarks: “Consistently practicing sound feeding management based on this feed led to good results. We will continue to devote ourselves to producing high-quality Hanwoo that consumers can trust and share our know-how with local farms.”

The “1st 2026 Daegu-Gyeongbuk Hanwoo Performance Evaluation Contest,” which selects the highest-quality Hanwoo in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk region, concluded on the 5th with a total of 50 outstanding Hanwoo entered from 18 cities and counties in Gyeongbuk. The contest was planned to prove the genetic excellence of Gyeongbuk Hanwoo, share feeding management techniques among farms, and maximize the competitiveness of the Hanwoo industry at the local-government level.
 

Unrivaled results: 539 kg carcass weight and 182㎠ ribeye area… Fruits of precision feeding management based on Gyeongju TMF feed
In this contest, where slaughter and chilling took place on August 4 and grading and the auction of prize-winning cattle were held on August 5, the market animal entered by Oh Heung-seok’s farm in Gyeongju (individual identification number 002194921187) claimed first place, the “Gyeongbuk Governor’s Award,” with overwhelming results.

Looking at the carcass results of the grand-prize animal in this contest, it recorded a shipping weight of 838 kg and a carcass weight of 539 kg. In particular, its ribeye area reached as much as 182㎠, far exceeding the second-place animal (158㎠) and the contest average, demonstrating outstanding meat-yield and meat-quality characteristics. Its marbling score also recorded the top grade of 93 (1++), and its meat-yield index was 65.60, earning a final grade of 1++A.

The farm of Jeon Sang-dae in Gyeongju, which placed second (National Hanwoo Association President’s Award), drew attention by entering a massive Hanwoo with a shipping weight of 999 kg and a carcass weight of 630 kg. Third place went to the farm of Lee Myung-heon in Goryeong County (Korea Animal Improvement Association President’s Award; carcass weight 513 kg, ribeye area 152㎠), followed by Shin Seung-wook’s farm in Gyeongju in fourth and Lee Jin-young’s farm in Sangju in fifth.

Amid the double burden of high grain prices and falling cattle prices, production of “high-quality Hanwoo” proves to be the key to farm survival
The results of the animals entered in this contest showed an average shipping age of 30.1 months. The distribution of shipping ages was 33 months (12 head, 24%), 32 months (11 head, 22%), and 30 months (9 head, 18%), indicating that feeding techniques aimed simultaneously at reducing feed costs and maximizing meat quality through 32–33 months of raising have entered a stage of establishment.

The average shipping weight was 889.2 kg. By weight range, 14 head (28%) weighed 900 kg or more, 12 head (24%) weighed 850 kg or more, and 11 head (22%) weighed 800 kg or more, clearly showing a trend toward larger animals, with 88% of all entries exceeding 800 kg.

Jang Seong-dae, head of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk branch of the National Hanwoo Association, emphasized, “Led by the Hanwoo Association, we will create an independent contest, and after the event connect it to post-evaluation, education, and consulting for the entered cattle, establishing Gyeongbuk-style feeding management standards that reflect the unique characteristics of Gyeongbuk Hanwoo.”