Balancing profit driving traits at Inglebrae Angus

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HAVING a balanced approach to data, while maintaining a strong focus on Angus characteristics, is allowing Inglebrae Farms Angus to produce bulls that can meet the needs of all clients.

The stud is owned by Joe Richardson and his family and based north west of Tenterfield, with another property in the Rangers Valley area at Deepwater.

Inglebrae has run a self-replacing commercial herd of Angus breeders for the past 40 years, and the stud was registered in 2010.

The team includes managers Darren and Kelly Battistuzzi, who have been with Inglebrae for the past 22 years.

They run 150 stud cows and replacement stud heifers, producing 40 bulls for the annual Inglebrae sale, as well as 650 commercial breeders to produce heavy Angus feeder steers.

Inglebrae's focus is producing bulls that will get results for clients, with a balance of production traits which include good calving ease and low birthweight, with good growth rates so clients can meet any market.

"We maintain a balanced approach of using the modern technologies available today without losing thought or sight of what made the Angus breed so desirable in the beginning," Mr Battistuzzi said.

"Joe selected the Angus breed 40 years ago for its fertility, moderate frame, doing ability in a temperate climate and meat qualities, and that's what we work towards maintaining today.

"We do all performance recording data to give clients and ourselves the data required to help with animal selection, however, we are not trying to make the breed bigger or stretch out every trait on the EBV (estimated breeding values) data sheet, but always improving traits as opportunities present."

Phenotype is just as important, with a big focus on maintaining visual characteristics of the Angus breed.

"On the other side of our balanced approach of breeding studstock is maintaining the visual conformation and structure of the stock we breed," Mr Battistuzzi said.

"We aim to breed an Angus animal that is moderate to just above, long and thick, with a soft shoulder and good neck reign, a fleshy short hair type, and a big emphasis on feet and leg structure, with a free-moving gait.

"I am a bit old school with visual assessment of an animal and I'm very thankful of the days I walked through many bulls with my grandfather assessing bulls before there was any data paperwork to go off."

Any new genetics are selected with a big emphasis on maternal strength, whether it's through artificial insemination or a walking sire.

"Over the past eight years we have introduced a number of walking sires from the Millah Murrah herd, which is arguably one of the best maternal herds in Australia and a herd I believe carries great visual Angus breed characteristics," Mr Battistuzzi said.

"With the emphasis Ross (Thompson, Millah Murrah stud principal) has on females, there's no better herd to be trying to build your female structure, and those genetics have improved maternal structure and shape.

"With our balanced approach to EBVs, visual assessment, and selection of maternal strength, I believe it leaves ourselves and our straight Angus clients along the New England with an Angus animal suited to the premium Angus weaner and feeder markets with the added benefit of strength in the replacement females.

"For our clients throughout the Northern Rivers and up into Queensland they get a true Angus animal that works well in their crossbreeding programs."

While Inglebrae has had interest from Angus and Ultrablack seedstock operations, its main clientele is commercial producers, many of them repeat buyers for many years.

The stud has a good mix of clients targeting different markets, from weaner production to heavy feeders, with many crossbreeding programs.

"We have a great local following around Tenterfield of pure Angus producers, and I enjoy walking through the local autumn weaner sales year after year and seeing big lines of pure Angus weaners with a strong Inglebrae influence," Mr Battistuzzi said.

"Every year I run the Inglebrae truck south to Armidale, east down into the Northern Rivers which are some very good crossbreeding programs, then we go west to Goondiwindi and down around Bingara and Barraba, which are a mix of pure Angus and crossbreeding.

"The Northern truck run goes through to Roma dropping at places like Wandoan, Taroom, Miles, Condamine, and a few clients that normally pick up from Roma are from Injune, Springsure and Comet, and they're mainly crossbreeding programs."

Inglebrae has a very even line of 40 two-year-old bulls available in this year's sale, with sires including Murdeduke Quarterback, Banquet Quarterpounder, Spinkler S Chisum, Millah Murrah Kruze Time N177, Millah Murrah Rector R74, Inglebrae Farms Powertrain and Inglebrae Farms Quarterback.

The bull sale is on July 19 at Tenterfield, beginning at 1pm, with bidding on property and online via StockLive.

An open day will be held the week before on Wednesday, July 10, with EBVs and raw data to be displayed with bulls.

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