Stars to align for stud

NSW stud Six Star will be the first to exhibit Speckle Park at Adelaide, in a bid to promote the benefits of the breed in SA.

“There are only a handful of Speckle Park breeders in SA,” Six Star owner Greg Ebbeck said. 

“We feel we have a good show team so we thought it was time.”

Mr Ebbeck has been showing cattle for about 50 years, previously with Poll Hereford stud Ebbx.

But the majority of the Ebbx herd was dispersed in 2011 to focus solely on breeding and showing Speckle Parks.

“I am just blown away by the breed’s carcase quality and what the breed has to offer the beef industry,” Mr Ebbeck said.

The Speckle Park breed originated in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the 1950s and is a cross of Teeswater Shorthorn, Angus and English White breeds. Early carcase competition success resulted in the growth of the crossbred cattle.

Mr Ebbeck first saw the black and white “speckled” breed on display at the 2004 Calgary Stampede, sparking an immediate interest.

“Back then, the speckled cattle weren’t recognised formally as a breed,” he said.

“We followed their progress from then on, including many supreme carcase wins, despite there being so few numbers of the breed.”

It encouraged Mr Ebbeck to buy the entire Star Bank Speckle Park herd – one of the best in Canada – in 2004.

The stud also went into partnership with Notta Ranch – a family-owned Speckle Park operation in Saskatchewan – where the 60 Star Bank cows were run. 

The best 10 cows were flushed to become part of an embryo transfer program by Mr Ebbeck, along with genetics from Notta Ranch, Codiak Acres, River Hill and one of the first Speckle Park herds in Canada – Spots N’ Sprouts.

So in 2006, when Speckle Park were officially recognised as a cattle breed, Six Star immediately started exporting genetics to Australia.

Today, Mr Ebbeck, with business partner Tim Bell, runs about 100 Speckle Park breeding cows in NSW, alongside a few former show team Poll Herefords.

The stud also has 20 Speckle Park donor cows still at Notta Ranch.

“All of the embryos are exported to Australia and used in our Six Star herd here,” Mr Ebbeck said. 

The team of Six Star Speckle Park cattle being brought across to Adelaide has recently taken on an interesting new owner.

His Excellency Sheikh Mishal bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani from Injazz Farms, Qatar, bought the six animals in December.

“On Boxing Day last year, the Sheikh inspected our Speckle Park herd after seeing us on the internet,” Six Star stud owner Greg Ebbeck said.

“He knew our herd was based on the best Canadian genetics and he was impressed with our embryo transfer program so he bought embryos and semen and the six head that were picked as our show team. 

“He likes to compete in everything he does, which also includes horse and bird racing.

“He plans to buy land in NSW to run a Speckle Park herd, which I will manage, and he has bought land in WA where he will breed cattle, including Speckle Park.”

The team will be shown at Adelaide before heading to all other major shows in Australia, plus regional NSW shows and field days, before being used for breeding.

“His Excellency plans to take embryos back to Qatar, as well as have a herd here in Australia,” Mr Ebbeck said.

The Adelaide show team will include a calf – Six Star Premier L14  – that is hoped to be the first Speckle Park bull exported live to Canada.

It is one of the first bull calves by Six Star Rare Commodity – the 2014 Sydney Royal supreme Speckle Park exhibit – out of a full-blood Canadian cow, which was exported from Canada to Australia as an embryo.

“This 12-month-old calf will be an exceptional beef bull,” Mr Ebbeck said. 

“Structurally it’s perfect. It’s got all the attributes we are looking for in a Speckle Park, with a beautiful nature and big eye muscle.”

Six Star Premier will be shown at the 2017 Canadian Western Agribition Trade Show and then the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in the United States in 2018.