More than one direction

While the couple, along with their three children Lockie, Kate and Anna, maintain a 70-head breeder herd, they concentrate on cattle-trading opportunities.

They manage these alongside their hay production on Jireh Park, situated south-west of Roma.

More recently they changed strategy with the supermarket trade in mind, and switched back to the Charbray breed to produce a softer finishing product.

The couple runs 300 head of cattle on their 990-hectare country, which consists of softwood, bottle tree scrub country improved to buffel, Mitchell and blue grasses.

Their breeder base of 70 Charbray cows are joined to Simmental bulls, and they sell the progeny onto the feeder market at weights of 320kg-400kg through the Roma Saleyards for an average of $500/head.

These breeders are given a two-month joining window, and they aim to wean the progeny in time to be sold as weaners through Watkins and Co, Roma, at the annual July weaner store sale.

The Coombers usually keep the top 10 per cent of the heifers as replacements, and the remaining heifers and steers are sold. However, it is the cattle-trading arm of their operation that they believe gives them the marketing edge.

Mr Coomber said he looked to buy and turn over one to two mobs annually.

Last year he took the opportunity to buy a line of 200 Limousin cows and calves, which were joined back to Limousin and Angus bulls, on-farm from the Prairie district in north-west Queensland.

And last month, through the Roma Weaner Sale, he sold the progeny and averaged $554/head for the steers, while the heifers averaged $453.

"Once I weaned the calves from the cows, I grain assisted and finished the cows, and sold them onto the prime market," he said.

"The steers and heifers were finished on an oats crop that, due to the season, was not good enough to bale as hay.

"When looking to buy trading cattle, I usually look for younger cattle most of the time, and try to source a Charbray, or stick with softer cattle while bearing the supermarket trade in mind.

"If I can, I buy from the Roma Saleyards, but will buy on-farm if suitable lines come up for sale."

Mr Coomber normally finishes all heifers and steers on grass, but due to the drier seasons over the past couple of years, he has finished cattle off oats planted as part of their hay production.

And in their hay-production business, the couple farms 273ha of Callgoa oats variety, along with the older wheat variety Celebration, as it is a good hay variety, while millet is grown in summer.

In a normal year they would produce 600 to 1000 round bales, selling to producers for their weaning process as far west as Charleville and Tambo, and north to the Arcadia Valley. The couple also supplies a trailer-load of 100 smaller round bales to the Roma Saleyards monthly.

"To maintain this supply, I usually source hay bales from other parts of Queensland," Mr Coomber said.