Ged and Robyn Plunkett, haven't looked back since switching their production focus from dairy to predominantly Angus beef cattle, close to eight years ago on Tarantella, at Tamborine on the Albert River.
Tarantella, at 285 hectares, has been in the Plunkett family since 1926 but it wasn't until the family exited dairy production in 2012 due to the state of the industry that the beef program became the sole focus.
When they first started honing in on the beef cattle operation, the Plunketts purchased Angus cross cows from around the Scenic Rim region, and have bred up the herd using Cochrane Angus bulls. They're now close to creating a pure commercial Angus herd.
"We find the Angus breed appealing for their temperament, fast growth rates, ease of calving and fertility," she said.
Their confidence in their decision to change tact has been aided by the performance of the bulls they've purchased exclusively from John and Bev Cochrane, Cochrane Angus, Jimboomba.
The family have had a long association with the Cochranes, as Mrs Plunkett, who is also a veterinarian, did the AI work for Mr Cochrane when he first started purchasing cows from the south.
"I think when the phrase "Honest John" was coined they must have been referring to John Cochrane.
"He goes out of his way to help young people in the industry and those who want to get a start. They're both lovely people and do a tremendous job for the Angus breed."
Mrs Plunkett said from when she first met the Cochranes 30 years ago, to now, they've remained highly enthusiastic about the Angus breed and they've spent the time and effort to ensure they get things right in their operation.
"Quite frankly, his bulls have got the goods."
Mrs Plunkett said K19, a bull the family bought from the Cochranes three years ago, has performed exceptionally well for them.
"We liked him initially because of the tremendous length of the bull, that trait can be seen in his calves and many a visitor has commented on that fact."
She said they purchased another young Cochrane bull last year that is showing real potential.
"He's a Compliment son with a nice rump, he's also very square and he's deep in the body. We're looking forward to seeing his calves when they drop."
The Plunketts look for the depth of pedigree in the bulls they buy, while good feet and legs are also a must.
"We also purchase for temperament, length, rump, scrotal circumference, and a clean coat, and we look at EBVS for calving ease.
"John's bulls are also bred on the coast and are used to ticky country, which is an additional benefit."
Like many properties across the state rain had been at a premium on property since 110mm descended in March last year, but that has all changed in recent weeks.
"We've had 550mms of flooding rain on Tarantella recently, and the place now looks a picture, with grass everywhere.
"The cattle were moved away from the river flats, and pumps brought off the river bank. We prepared as well as we can. We have four kilometres of river frontage so we've dealt with floods for a long time."
Mrs Plunkett said the herd on Tarantella currently consists of 120 cows, and 280 head all up with the calves included.
"We cut our numbers back before the rain in March last year and we kept the numbers low due to the season. We sold 90 head, which is a large amount in a relatively small-scale operation.
"Most of the 2017 steers went to the feedlots at 480kg on average at 18 months old. We also had a good clean out of cull cows based on age, type and temperament. Some cull heifers went to the feedlots as well."
She said they very rarely have to cull females because they fail to breed.
"One of the joys of the Angus breed is their fertility, they cycle soon after calving and produce a calf every year."
Tarantella is comprised of black soil river flats, sandy loam ridges and mostly permanent pastures. Mrs Plunkett said they irrigate the black soils and generally oversow it with prairie, chicory and ryegrass so they have green feed through the Winter months.
The family run a fixed mating program with the bulls entering the paddock in September, and exiting by January.
"By using this window we can put the cows on the green feed when they're calving in Winter which in turn sees the calves do very well with their weight gains, as they have plenty of milk. They grow like mushrooms."
