In a bid to consistently produce a quality beast, the Wormwell family, Monivae, Tara use Grey Brahman cows joined to Simmental bulls as their base in a cross-breeding cattle operation.
The family, consisting of parents Bryan and Arlie, daughter Rebel, and son Guy and his partner Sonia, runs 600 breeders on 4453 hectares of predominately Brigalow and Belah country that has permanent water frontage to the Moonie River.
And according to Bryan their breeding principles are based on temperament, fertility, weight gain and constitution.
“In the past we used to finish our progeny for the Jap-ox market, but for the past five years and as the seasons have dictated, we now sell as feeder steers,” Bryan said.
Once steers and heifers reach 400 kilograms they are sold to a local feedlot and fed for 100 days and then processed at Kilcoy Pastoral Company at Kilcoy.
And at the heart of their breeding operation is the quality genetics that Byran and Arlie invested in many years ago.
“The Brahman cow is ideal for our country and has a better constitution,” Bryan said.
“We bought our initial grey cows from the late Percy Bishop, Garglen Brahmans, Gympie.
“Percy was so keen to see how they were adapting to our country, so he traveled out to check on them.”
The family also introduced Simmental bulls bought from one of the foundation breeders, Harry M Miller, Dunmore Simmentals, Manilla, NSW.
Since then, to maintain the hybrid vigour the family has added Gelbvieh bulls bred by Clyde and Alison Johnson, Norolle Gelbvieh, Millmerran.
More recently they have introduced the increasingly popular Speckle Park breed to their herd.
Bryan is the first to admit that you need to invest in good bulls.
“I pay above the average for a good bull - they usually average about $10,000, as I believe a good bull will get you somewhere pretty quickly,” he said.
And for the past eight years Bryan has been concentrating on buying polled genetics.
The Wormwell family joins its heifers in November for four months and the proven breeders from December at a bull to female ratio of 3 per cent.
And while their calving percentage varies with the seasons, they maintain an average in the 90 per cent bracket.
About 70 days after the bulls are removed from the breeders, Guy’s partner Sonia pregnancy tests the cows using a scanning probe.
“We find the probe is far less evasive to the cow and the results are more accurate,” Guy said.
Empty heifers and cull for age cows are sold through the Dalby Saleyards or direct to the meat processors.
The Wormwell family recently invested in Speckle Park cattle genetics.
“The reason we invested in the Speckle Park cattle is because of their yield and eating quality,” Bryan said.
“Plus they are polled and have been consistently winning and being placed in carcase competitions in Australia and overseas.”
The Wormwells paid $20,500 for the bull Hanging Rock Harpoon, by Spots N Sprouts Stand Along and Six Star 82U Heartbreaker, with imported Canadian genetics.
As well, they have bought 56 Angus pregnancy tested in calf heifers in calf to Speckles Park bulls.
The also purchased 35 Angus cows and calves back in calf to Speckle Park bulls and 35 F1 Minnamurra Speckle Park heifers with Speckle Park calves at foot.
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
