Since 1996 the Rynne family have been successfully producing a pure Angus article in their family run operation, most recently at Jilliby on the Moonie River, halfway between Moonie and Tara in the Western Downs region of Queensland.
Patrick and Melody Rynne with assistance from their four sons Andrew, James, Matt and Sean are currently running a 720-head Angus herd, including breeders and their weaners, on the 2971ha property, which the family purchased seven and a half years ago.
Mrs Rynne said their herd numbers would be reduced soon as they're starting to destock because of the dry.
"By the end of July we'll have considerably less cattle so we can take care of our pastures," she said.
These pastures are spread across the gently undulating, heavy melon hole brigalow country with areas of lighter soil types present on Jilliby.
In their operation the family is squarely focussed on beef breeding.
"We take steers through to feedlot weights and heifers through to joining weight, all on improved pasture. We don't carry out any cropping or stud-related activities, although we do breed some Australian stock horses."
Mrs Rynne said in their program they strived to produce an article that is marketable at any age or stage, with their selection process based primarily on fertility, temperament, growth, and suitability for their climate and land type.
She said females were joined with their bulls at the beginning of November, with the bulls then taken out in February.
"Our goal is to produce an extremely high quality commercial herd with attractive, sound, easy-calving cows that can calve unassisted each year from two years old onwards, regardless of seasonal conditions.
"We like them to produce soft, quick-growing, vigorous calves with slick coats, depth, thickness and a good temperament. Oh, and we like them to have pretty faces too. It's no fun riding around looking at ugly cattle."
Mrs Rynne said they also wanted feminine, structurally sound, moderate-framed cows with a good temperament.
"Strong maternal instincts, good milk production, short gestation length genes, and good marbling are also priorities in the females."
She said they buy bulls in the top 10 to 15 per cent of the breed in terms of EBVs available each year.
"We find they're usually also the most attractive and structurally sound bulls."
Mrs Rynne said there were no second chances given in the herd for heifers that needed assistance calving, even if they might go on to be a good mother.
"We also cull cows on their ability to wean heavy weight calves each year, regardless of age of the cow," she said.
The family have been using Sandon Glenoch bulls for more than 20 years.
"Their bulls have helped form the basis of our herd along with stud cows we purchased from various places when we first started out.
"The late Jack Atkins, Roger and Tam Boshammer, and Justin and Kate Boshammer have always been great supporters of our endeavors."
She said Sandon Glenoch bulls D66 and H256 had produced excellent cows that had allowed them to target steers for the 200-day feed opportunity as well as providing good replacement heifers for the Rynnes and others that buy them.
"These bulls have had a very positive effect on our herd. We also occasionally buy bulls from other studs to get an out-cross and keep the genetics fresh."
The Rynnes' steers normally go into a special 200-day Black Angus program at Kerwee Feedlot at Jondaryan in the Toowoomba region at the 380 to 480kg range.
"Our surplus heifers are usually marketed through Auctions Plus at joining age."
When inspecting cattle come sale time Melody said without fail their number one priority was a pretty face.
"We also look at birthweight, calving ease, gestation length, 600-day, IMF and EMA and scrotal size."
She said they looked to buy bulls that are low to moderate birth weight, show well above average growth, and are quite neutral on rib and rump fat figures.
"We try for bulls that have smooth slick coats, good feet and legs, and a docile temperament but they must be good active walking bulls as well," Mrs Rynne said.
She said while they haven't done any showing to this point in time, it's an avenue they may explore.
"We're hoping to get some steers or heifers into the local shows in a commercial capacity down the track."
Mrs Rynne said Matt was at home starting and training horses as well as working in the operation.
"Andrew and James are engineers living and working in Brisbane, but they come home for all the major musters and any other weekends they can spare and run some cows of their own.
"Sean is having a working holiday training cutting horses in Canada and also has cows of his own here."
She said it was with nothing except three little boys and another on the way in January of 1996, that they decided to make the shift to country living and to tackle the beef game.
"I'd grown up on the land on a mixed farming property between Warra and Jandowae. Patrick hadn't grown up on the land but he has inherent skills generationally from his forebears.
"I really wanted our boys to have the same benefits that I'd enjoyed growing up with animals and space and to share our common goal of breeding cattle and horses.
"The accounting business which Patrick runs has really helped through the tough times and allowed us to establish ourselves without having inherited land."