Purchasing four different breeds at one bull sale may seem odd to some but the February All Breeds event was the perfect opportunity for Ken Jeppesen to expand his crossbreeding capabilities.
Mr Jeppesen, Taranga, Mackay, bought nine bulls including three Brahman and Limousin bulls, two Charbray bulls and one Santa Gertrudis bull to replace current sires within his breeding herd.
Mr Jeppesen said it was essential he retained 200 purebred Brahman heifers each year to ensure a degree of tick resistance.
“We only use Brahman females for breeding because we’re in the coastal country but we’re trying to diversify with crossbreeding to open up new opportunities,” he said.
“We’ve presently got Santa and Charbray bulls for crossbreeding but with the season so shocking they haven’t fared too well so we decided to buy some European cattle to make sure we get the calves on the ground.”
Mr Jeppesen said he started supplying to the domestic market after selling other northern properties and buying a finishing property, Broadlea, Theodore.
“We used to aim for the Jap Ox market with bigger framed cows but now we’re breeding plainly for the younger market,” he said.
“We don’t have the finishing country we used to so we’ve gone back to matching our calf drop to the domestic and younger Indonesian markets and mixing in some crossbreds give us that versatility.
“As far as introducing other breeds, we’ll always have a standard red Brahman herd but for outcrossing we’re going to try them all."
Mr Jeppesen said he liked to finish his cattle on-property although poor wet seasons meant he was taking advantage of strong cattle prices and selling steers to feedlots.
“European cattle have a much better rump and frame, increasing the weight you can put on them,” he said.
“It’s a known fact hybrid vigour yields better results so you’ve got to utilise it and feedlots are a much surer option than the saleyards.”
Mr Jeppesen said crossbreeding was also paying off in the meatworks department where competition against live export was strong.
“Diversity in the market is just what producers need- cattle at 500 kilograms live weight with two teeth can go into the works or you can round them off a bit and hit the domestic market,” he said.
“With breeds, it’s easy to go to the extremes in one way or the other but I think you’re better off being in the middle of the road to keep your options open.”