CROSSING Droughtmaster and Charolais is paying off for Tabulam producer Duncan Robertson, Bottle Creek, with the hybrid vigour adding weight to his weaners.
Mr Robertson owns about 640 hectares at Jackson's Flat at Tabulam and Clovelly, Old Banalbo, and leases another 600ha.
Mr Robertson has been using Heitiki Droughtmaster bulls bred by Tim Lloyd at Delungra over Charolais breeders, and any cows that have Droughtmaster characteristics are joined back to a Charolais bull.
It’s been a few years of trial and error to get to the Droughtmaster/Charolais-cross, beginning many years ago when the benefits of crossbreeding were first realised.
“Years ago I had Hereford cattle but when the DPI (NSW Department of Primary Industries) put out research on crossbreeding and hybrid vigour, I started putting Santa Gertrudis bulls over our Herefords which was a good cross, but then I thought I might as well go to a bit more of a tropical infusion with a Brahman bull,” Mr Robertson said.
“I had them for a while, and they really lifted the quality and size of the calves – by 80 to 100 kilograms in some situations. I tried Charolais bulls over the Herefords and kept a few heifers, then tried Droughtmasters over them. I always liked the look of the Droughtmasters and I was really pleased with the outcome of the cross so I’ve stuck with it.”
The Droughtmaster cattle suit the production and the environment.
“We’ve got a hardy beast crossed with a meat machine so when things are tough the hardiness of the Droughtmaster helps, but when the season gets going the Charolais influence packs the meat on.”
Mr Robertson looks for low birthweight figures, and good growth when selecting a bull.
“They’re medium-framed cattle and the temperament's good. The first-cross calves pack on a lot of weight and there are no calving problems, which we used to have with some of our Hereford cows.”
The cattle, which range from cream to light red in colour, can sell to a range of markets, but most are sold as weaners through the Casino saleyards, which attract a large number of buyers looking for crossbred cattle to finish.
Many of the calves weigh between 300kg and 350kg at nine to 10 months of age, with the smallest still hitting 250kg.
“We do have buyers who are specifically looking for crossbred cattle because they get the hybrid vigour and good growth rates,” Mr Robertson said.
“There’s a premium for Angus, but we find that our heavier weights counteract the lower demand for crossbred cattle.”
Ruth Schwager
Ruth Schwager is a journalist with the national agricultural features team.
Ruth Schwager is a journalist with the national agricultural features team.
