Making a shift to selling in the weaner market has provided the perfect opportunity to showcase their stud's genetics, according to Claremont Angus breeders, Graeme and Liz Glasgow, Woolsthorpe.
This will be the second year of selling at the Western Victoria Livestock Exchange for the Glasgow family, who will offer a quality draft of 60 steers and 50 heifers, all March/April-drop, in next month's weaner sale at the Mortlake complex.
"We used to sell our calves on farm to feedlots as well as overseas, but we were encouraged by the agents to give it go and we were very happy with last year's results," Mr Glasgow said.
"We know we're not going to see that sort of money this coming season, but the weaner marketer suits our operation and it also gives our stud some great exposure.
"What we were really pleased about at this year's Mortlake sale was that out of the 7000 calves on offer, 1200 were bred by Claremont bulls and a lot of the drafts were in the top run of weaners."
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They currently run 300 registered Angus cows on their 485-hectare property, along with 100 Poll Dorset stud ewes, run by their daughter Esther under the Estjam stud banner, and 600 first-cross ewes joined to Poll Dorset rams.
The Glasgow family are pleased with how this year's drop of calves are looking, despite the wet spring.
"The calves still have their depth and stretch and they are well grown, but they just need a bit more sun to put some bloom on them," Mr Glasgow said.
"One positive from all the rain is that usually the paddocks are starting to dry off now, but there is still a lovely green pick, so the calves can hopefully make up for lost ground during the next month.
"We expect the steers to average about 340 kilograms and the heifers about 320kg."
Angus cattle were first introduced to Claremont in 1940 with the purchase of 40 heifers from the Kahlua stud.
Over the years, new bloodlines were added with bulls bought from the annual Angus Australia national sale in Wodonga.
The Glasgow family aims to breed quiet, fertile and functional cows that consistently produce calves with a blend of muscle, structure and growth.
They carry out an annual artificial insemination program to speed the rate of genetic gain in their herd, using a mix of their own home-bred sires as well as leading outside bulls.
The bloodlines of the calves on offer are a combination of natural mating and AI sires including Paintrock Trapper, HF Alcatraz 60F, Sitz Stellar and Riverbend Upgrade, as well as sons of Baldridge Beast Mode B074 and Musgrave 316 Stunner.
"We follow a strict selection criteria, we won't even look at a bull unless he has good feet and temperament, they are number one on our list," Mrs Glasgow said.
"We like plenty of bone on the cattle as well as thickness, stretch and depth as we believe this equals weight.
"Evenness of type is also very important."
During the past few years, the Glasgow family have focused their efforts on improving fertility with this year's conception rates reaching 95 per cent including heifers, and 75pc conception for the AI cows.
They said herd fertility and calf health had been significantly boosted by the use of a slow-release trace element bolus which is administered at pregnancy testing in January.
All the calves are weaned in mid-December and supplemented with silage in good-quality pasture paddocks to help settle them down.
"We only keep the calves in the yards overnight and then turn them out," Mrs Glasgow said.
"They will come back into the yards to be weighed, drenched and vaccinated, but we like to get them out grazing as quickly as possible to ensure they continue to gain weight."
The Glasgows have also found that their rotational grazing system has made a huge difference at weaning, as the calves are already used to people, motorbikes and going through gates.
The Claremont steers and heifers will be offered at the WVLX sale on January 5.
