A focus on producing quality, fast-growing Angus weaners continues to pay dividends for the Cameron family, with their calves in strong demand at the annual sale in Mortlake.
Henry and Karen Cameron have been strong supporters of the Western Victoria Livestock Exchange since the facility was opened in 2018 and will offer about 180 Angus steers at the January sale.
Despite a "below-average" season, Mr Cameron is pleased with how this year's draft of calves is looking.
"The top half is looking very good, but I think there is a bit more tail this year," he said.
"We had a good autumn break but there hasn't been the clover in the paddocks like other years and a drier start to the spring slowed down the pasture growth."
Mr Cameron expects his top run of calves will hit the 380-kilogram mark, while the middle run of calves should average 320kg, and the lighter draft might be about 270kg.
"The prices won't be the same, but the rain up north will make a big difference and has put some optimism back in the market," he said.
"My father used to say, 'if you have good-quality cattle they will always sell', and I think that will be the case this season, buyers might be a bit more selective."
Working together with their son Damian and his wife Lucy and their family, the Camerons take care of about 500 Angus breeders across a spread of farms at Penshurst.
They also run the successful Athlone Poll Dorset and Southdown studs, selling about 400 rams annually, as well as a first-cross ewe flock for prime lamb production.
The Cameron family aim to breed easy-calving, quiet and productive Angus cattle and have been sourcing their bulls from the Moore family's Weeran stud at Byaduk and Francs Angus, near Streatham, for many years.
Mr Cameron prefers to select his bulls visually first, looking at structure, particularly feet and legs, combined with plenty of length and depth of body.
"I also don't like any white underneath my cattle, that's important to me," he said.
"If we don't sell the heifers in the weaner sales, they may head to China and they don't like any white on them.
"I also never select low birth weight bulls, I always go for a moderate birth weight to keep a bit of size in our cows and their progeny."
A well-balanced set of estimated breeding values is also important, with emphasis on growth rates, especially 400 to 600-day weight, and maternal traits such as milking ability and calving ease.
"In the past few years we have focused on buying quality bulls and spending more money on our genetics and we are seeing the results coming through in our herd," Mr Cameron said.
"We keep about 100 heifers as replacements each year and it's getting harder and harder to class them."
To meet weaner specifications, cows are joined for eight weeks to start calving from late February onwards.
Current conception rates average more than 90 per cent and any empty cows and heifers are sold immediately which Mr Cameron believes has contributed to the in-built fertility of the herd.
"The cows don't receive any special treatment and we prefer not to supplementary feed our cattle," he said.
"I run a cow and calf to about 1.2 hectares so we don't have to feed our cows.
"The only hay the calves receive is during weaning."
The Cameron family aims to present their calves in the best-possible condition and have been rewarded for their efforts, often winning the best-presented pen of steers.
All the calves are yard weaned in December and handled extensively in the yards to settle them down.
They are then split into their sexes and moved into holding paddocks near the yards.
By sale time, the calves will have received two 5-in-1 vaccinations and several oral drenches.
Mr Cameron said the weaner sale suited their operation, with their calves attracting repeat buyers from both local areas and interstate.
Athlone's draft of steers will be sold through LMB Livestock on Thursday, January 4, at the Mortlake saleyards, while Mr Cameron plans to sell the heifers in the special female sale the following week.
