THE Fitzroy region may be the biggest cattle producing area in Australia, but Paul Connor, Rosewood, Morinish (60km north-west of Rockhampton), said it’s all about quality; not just quantity.
The Connor family run about 750 breeders at Rosewood, including 180 stud Droughmaster and Charbray females.
He said there was no doubt Rockhampton was the beef capital, so it made sense Fitzroy would have the largest numbers in the nation.
“I think we’re definitely the beef capital here,” he said.
New maps released by Meat and Livestock Australia have highlighted just what a beef powerhouse Queensland really is.
The maps, built from data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, reveal that seven of the top 10 beef producing regions are located in Queensland, which has around 11 million of the 25 million national herd.
- Fitzroy – 2.6 million
- NT – 2.2 million
- Burdekin – 1.3 million
- Border Rivers/Maranoa Balonne – 1.2 million
- Desert Channels – 1.11 million
- Rangelands (WA) 1.10 million
- Southern Gulf – 1 million
- Northern Gulf – 833,000
- Glenelg Hopkin (VIC) – 800,000
- Burnett Mary – 799,000
MLA manager of data intelligence, Damon Holmes, said the maps also reveal the sharp decline in herd numbers, particularly through western Queensland over the past five years.
“The key driver when it comes to cattle is Queensland,” Mr Holmes said.
“But what we can also see over the past five years, is the significant reduction of cattle in western Queensland – probably up to 40 per cent in regions likes the Desert Channels, the Southern Gulf and even the Fitzroy.”
Mr Connor is the fifth generation in his family to operate on Rosewood, a 6677 hectare property located 60km north-west of Rockhampton on the Fiztroy River.
The property comprises a balance of country including brigalow, creek flats, rosewood, and ironbark.
The operation focuses on breeding and fattening, and the family take their steers through until about two-and-a-half years old, when they hope to finished them at the 320kg-360kg mark before sending them directly to the works
With prices high for weaner cattle, Mr Connor said they have focused mostly on increasing their breeders and with the dry starting to bite, he is now feeding cows.
“We've still go heaps of grass but cows are starting to calf so we'll start supplementing them now,” he said.
Mr Connor enters cattle in carcase competitions, has two sons who show stud cattle and exhibits commercial cattle at Beef Australia.
“I think you've got to keep involved otherwise you just lose touch with it,” he said.