Barragunda Angus breed for commercial success

Manager Adrian Oliver oversees Barragunda Station’s 400-500 head commercial herd, and 60 cow stud herd at Mansfield.

The registered herd, established on Te Mania, Green Valley and Pert Angus females in 1998, was initially established to breed bulls to service the operation’s commercial cows.

“We wanted to breed stud bulls in our own environment so we knew they would do well,” Mr Oliver said. 

“Born and bred in the district to do well in turn means the commercial progeny do well.”

From there demand from others looking for the same product meant Barragunda now sells about a dozen bulls surplus to their own needs each year.

“We breed more than we need, and that gives us good selection pressure,” he said.

“We cull out any animals that aren’t up to scratch but still always end up for a few more then we need ourselves – we offer them for sale privately on-property through Rodwells and Corcoran Parker, at a flat price, first in first served.

“When they take them home the bulls go ahead, they don’t need to be pampered,” he said. 

“We do feed them as best we can to ensure they fulfill their genetic potential, but they need to feed and breed in a commercial environment, on grass, hay and silage, without any grain assistance.”

As well as keeping the producer’s environment front of mind, Barragunda have made sure the progeny its bulls produce fit the market, and are able to test this through their own large commercial herd.

‘“The emphasis has been for a while to lift the intramuscular fat, and we have done so,” Mr Oliver said. 

“We are now concentrating on maintaining that and lifting the 200- and 400-day weight.

“We’ve also put emphasis back on maintaining rib and rump fat so animals have a bit of reserve in winter. 

“We wanted to keep these traits at a high level so their offspring would beneficial to the feedlot buyers.

“Feedlot buyers have what they need to fatten and finish the cattle to be processed and satisfy their needs.”

Mr Oliver said Barragunda primarily used artificial insemination to improve the genetics of the stud herd, with a focus on outcross bulls with the desired traits.

“We want to maintain and improve genetics, so outcross bulls have to have equal to or better than what we have already with estimated breeding values,” he said. 

“We have been using US blood at the moment - including Poss Element and EF Complement.

“The emphasis on US-bloodlines mean nothing is too closely related, and then allows us to go back to Te Mania and Rennylea, which we have used before.”

A spring calving goes with the season at Mansfield, according to Mr Oliver, who said it allowed the cows to calve down and get back in calf on a rising plane of nutrition.

For buyers looking to calve in the autumn, bulls are sold at 16 to 18 months-of-age just prior to the joining season, with some older bulls sold after they have been used at Barragunda.

“Quiet often they will buy the younger bulls to go out as heifer bulls and then retained to go over their cows when they grow out,” he said.

Commercial calves have been sold primarily at the May-June weaner sales in Yea and Barnawartha the past three years, but when the season permits Barragunda does background them for direct sale to the feedlots.

River flats sown with lucerne have been a beneficial pasture tool during tough years, with the younger cattle grazing it after it has been cut for silage or hay.

“Electric fencing has been used to set aside part paddocks or whole paddocks to keep a feed wedge in front of the younger stock,” he said.

“We sectioned off parts of paddocks this year so it could come away after summer rain, and then we rotational grazed paddocks while pasture was still growing.”

This year Barragunda will welcome visitors to the property on Sunday 27 January, as part of day two of Stock & Land Beef Week.

“A lot of our clients come and see what we have available to know what they might like to purchase this year,” he said.

“We also get feedback from buyers as to how stock are performing and to talk to other people in the industry about what they are doing and how they are doing it.

“We always listen to what buyers want and find out what may be a better way of doing things.

“If we can get back to a normal season and something like normal rains throughout south east Australia and leading up to Queensland, I think the outlook looks positive for all the industry.

“There should be reasonable buying for purchasers and vendors will get good value for the stock that they’ve got.”