Santos-owned Droughtmaster cattle, reared alongside the company’s natural gas operations, picked up two awards at this year’s Brisbane Royal Show.
While many people know Australian company Santos as a leading natural gas producer, it’s a little-known fact that they have also been in the agriculture business for many years.
For the second year running, Santos entered its cattle for judging, with 21 prime specimens hand-selected by the company’s Maranoa pastoral team from its 4,500-strong herd.
This year Santos cattle won third place in the 600-720kg class pen-of-six competition and third place in the 600-720kg class single steer competition.
Santos’ Maranoa Regional Manager Andrew Snars said it is a sustainable system.
“Through our operations, we essentially produce a new source of irrigation quality water enabling us to grow crops which allow our award-winning cattle to grow and thrive,” Andrew said.
“We’re really proud of this result and pleased to show everyone that raising high quality beef cattle alongside natural gas activity has been happening for many years,” he said.
The company maintain a straight Droughtmaster breeding herd with Angus bulls used over heifers and Shorthorn bulls used over some cows. Replacement heifers are predominantly Droughtmaster so first cross hybrid vigour is kept high on terminal crossbred progeny.
He said Santos owns a number of properties in the Surat Basin, which have been purchased over time to locate the companys’ major gas processing facilities.
“It’s on these properties that we run our cattle.”
Santos mainly breed on the Springwater, Fairview and Waddy Brae properties, and grow out steers on Bottle Tree in the Arcadia Valley and heifers on Pleasant Hills near Roma.
The breed were selected due to their adaptability to the climate in the region (around Roma / Injune / Arcadia Valley) and because of their quiet temperament.
The Droughtmaster’s feed conversion, milking ability, ease of calving and fertility traits also added to the choice of the breed as a solid base for the F1 crossbreeding operation.
Most of the Santos steers are marketed as heavy feeder types through the Roma saleyards or direct to feedlots, but when seasons permit they’re finished and sent direct to the meatworks.
“We’ve been picking up strong prices and good feedback from the experts in the industry.
“Justin Stivano from Bellevue feedlot does an excellent job of feeding the cattle and past prime cattle winner Darrell Harland has been available to provide us with good advice on selection and preparation.”
