Northern Victorian Murray Grey stud Mount Major's main focus is on producing "better beef".
That's according to stud co-principal Brett Davidson, who runs the 120-hectare Yabba North stud with Sarah Chaplin, and their two children Ted and Maisie.
"Our focus is on better beef and it has been from the start, all animals are independently structurally assessed and we use full Breedplan figures," he said.
"We are looking at the consumer as well.
"Murray Greys suit that consumer expectation by being high-welfare cattle.
"Being naturally polled, they have a light coat and dark skin which reduces heat stress.
"They are easy calving and calm cattle that are enjoyable to have.
"Through the use of elite genetics we aim to provide high-indexing animals with low birth weights."
He said all animals were independently scanned, sire and dam verified and DNA tested.
The stud was registered in 2006, with Mr Davidson saying he settled on Murray Greys after first running Herefords and Angus.
"Their temperament is fantastic," he said.
"They are enjoyable and profitable.
"You [need to] have both, because you can't shut your eyes to profitability."
He said he and Dr Chaplin aim to run 60 breeding females on the property.
"We keep selling more bulls, we are selling 20-25 a year, so we are going to our first on-property sale this year, which we are excited about," he said.
He said being in Stock & Land Beef Week had helped grow the stud's market share "over the years" by being able to promote its cattle.
"We can talk to people to see what is relevant to them, so we can breed the animals they want to buy," he said.
"Everyone wants to go first on the top 10-15 bulls, the fairest way is to put them up in a helmsman auction and buyers can judge which ones they like the best."
The stud was based on bloodlines including Dajory, Shepparton, Lindsay, Coleraine, and Willalooka, Marcollat, SA.
"We sort of don't look at bloodlines too much, it's more about trying to get animals that can build a better carcase, so we look at all animals in the breed," he said.
"It's always good feet to start off with, then you just want to have easy-calving animals with good carcase traits, big eye muscle, good beef yield and high intramuscular fat - they're the bits you get paid on.
"We are always looking to find the next animal that can improve our cattle further."
Mr Davidson said the stud had just bought a new bull from Cadfor Murray Greys, Binda, NSW.
He said he had sold to studs but that was not the main aim.
"The main thing is a direct commercial focus, animals that will finish off on pasture," he said.
He described his breeding program as "complicated".
"I don't have ratios of bulls to females, it's 'what's the best way I can make that animal better?'," he said.
"Joining is probably the hardest part of the year.
"I do look at all estimated breeding values and structure to try and get the best outcome - you get good rewards out of breeding good animals."
He said he hadn't found the perfect bull yet, but had bred one on the property that was "extremely good".
"We will have sons of Mount Major Strzelecki available to purchase this year," he said.
"He is the most-balanced bull we have ever bred, he is just outstanding in type and structure."
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
