After paying the top money in the female section for MCL Sammi 1585 at last year’s February All Breeds sale, Mackay-based commercial graziers Don and Carol Sivyer are eagerly anticipating her first-drop calf to arrive later this year.
At the 2018 sale the Sivyers paid $15,000 to secure the now 23-month-old daughter of Yenda V Bomber from Bram and Dell McLennan and family, MCL Stud, Goovigen.
“We loved her from the moment we saw her, she was oozing with quality at sale-time, and she’s proven to be a very good doer since we brought her home,” Don said.
The Sivyers run a pure Brahman herd of 90 head across 48ha of flat to slightly undulating country at Farleigh, and 5120ha of slightly undulating to hilly country at Bloomsbury.
We loved her (MCL Sammi 1585) from the moment we saw her, she was oozing with quality at sale-time, and she’s proven to be a very good doer since we brought her home.
- Don Sivyer, Farleigh Station, Mackay.
“We’ve always found that the Brahman is the best performer in the tropics by far,” he said.
Don said they primarily purchased MCL Sammi 1585 because they’re currently buying superior breeding stock to bolster the overall quality of the progeny they produce.
“We’re really making a push to strengthen the genetics through our herd, and to aid with this we also recently began an AI program.”
He said MCL Sammi 1585 was placed in the AI program, and is now four weeks in-calf.
“We’re very excited to see how the calf looks when it drops.”
Don said in their operation bullocks are sold at 300kgs or more, and cull cows at 220kg-plus direct to the meatworks.
“With the program we now have in place we’ll hopefully be able to produce better overall quality cattle while increasing our weight for age figures, so we can then sell-on our cattle quicker.”
With the success they’ve had with MCL Sammi 1585 post-sale, Don said they’re hoping to attend the February All Breeds sale again this year.
“I’ve been very impressed with the photos in the catalogue of the cattle being offered there this year, and there will be some really strong bloodlines represented there as well.”