Herd Health and Welfare has always been our number one priority. Our aim has never been solely about breeding bulls for sale. In fact, our first priority has always been our long term commitment to breeding better quality animals each generation to achieve genetic progress within our breeding herd.
However, there is more to achieving an animal’s full genetic potential than focusing only on the genetics or the numbers in the sale catalogue. What and how much you feed your cattle are of equal importance in determining overall profitability and the end result.
We breed cows that are happy and healthy, conceive easily, produce calves with minimal assistance, and raise those calves to weaning weights of 300kg plus at 9-10months old. We then grow the calves to 620kg by 22months old with 12mm of fat, and retain daughters for breeding so maternal traits can be developed. As a result, we meet MSA specifications and the requirements of the Angus Heavy Grass Index, at the same time producing animals that deliver eating quality and tenderness.
Target market for steers
Our main target market for steers is Wingham Beef Exports (WBE) and one of their premium grids, particularly the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) specifications, Manning Valley Naturally (Grass fed, Hormone free, Antibiotic free).
To achieve these requirements we look to breed our Angus cows with a balance across a number of key traits
- Docility/Temperament
- High Fertility
- Good Structural Soundness
- High Milk Production
- High Growth Rate
- Carcass quality and quantity (length and depth)
- Moderately framed cows with balance across their EBV’s
Our cattle are grass-fed only, a mixture of high quality Oats/Rye/Clovers during the cooler months and improved tropical pastures (Kikuyu, Setaria) during the warmer months. This is further supplemented with quality silage, hay/chaff as required.
We select up to 10 Bulls annually for our own breeding purposes and future sale. Only the best 3 or 4 heifers from each drop are kept for our own breeding program, and the remainder are sold as replacement breeders. Although they could be fattened and sold direct to WBE, we feel that this is a waste of good genetic potential and prefer to sell them as quality replacement breeders.
Older cattle or cattle that are no longer “solid” go directly to WBE as culls.