Jeff and Karen Mills, Melrose Station, Morinish, are getting top results with the crossbred progeny they're producing from bulls purchased at the Highlands Droughtmaster sale.
Melrose was initially purchased by the family in 1893, with Mr Mills representing the fifth generation of the family on-property.
There is a wide range of country across Melrose (8000 hectares, of which they lease half out), including Bloodwood and Ironbark ridges, and some pulled scrub which leads down to Blue Gum creek flats adjoining the Fitzroy River.
They've received good falls recently, though Mr Mills said they need more of it.
"We have some green grass coming back through, but across the entire property the rain has been pretty patchy."
In their operation, Mr Mills manages the cattle, while Mrs Mills does the bookwork.
Up until five years ago the Mill's ran a commercial breeding and fattening program, trading as Melrose Grazing Company, and while they still buy and sell under the same banner, they now sell weaner steers and cull heifers straight off their mothers at five to six months old weighing 300kg or more through CQLX at Gracemere.
"We're happy with the prices we receive operating this way. We have clients coming back to CQLX every year to get a hold of them. We last sold some leftover two year old cull heifers there which averaged 310c/kg to top the sale," Mr Mills said.
He said Droughtmaster bulls were introduced into the operation six years ago as the third breed in a three-way cross which also involves Shorthorn bulls.
"We're always looking for good temperament in our progeny, it's our main priority. The Droughtmasters provide us with that docility in the cross and they've slotted into our country very well.
"They're a good, hardy breed, and they've done a really good job of softening up our herd."
Mr Mills said 2020 will be the final year that the Droughtmaster bulls are used before they cycle to the Shorthorn x Brahman cross, and they'll then go back to pure Brahman.
"To find the right bulls for our program we've been purchasing two or three a year from the Highlands sale, mainly from Redskin Droughtmasters, but also the Huntly and Oasis studs."
"We live next door to Ken and Debbie Rutherford from Redskin so we'd been keeping a close eye on their herd before we purchased our first bull from them.
"The Redskin bulls have gone really well in our program, and we don't need to worry about them acclimatising as they come from the same type of country as ours. They just come straight in and perform."
He said the bulls purchased from the Highlands sale have also helped to improve the fertility of the herd.
"We always have pretty high fertility rates, but last year when we extended the mating period through the dry with still ended up with close to a 90 per cent fertility rate when we preg tested."
Mr Mills said the tremendous lines of bulls have consistently been offered at the sale since they started attending it in 2015.
"I like that you can get down and have a really good look at them during the pre-sale inspections instead of looking down at them off a walkway.
"Besides a great temperament, we aim to buy bulls with good bone, plenty of meat on them, and which look good over the loins."
He said mostly they enjoy the social aspect of the sale.
"It's a good opportunity to get away from the property for a while."
Outside of their primary commercial herd, the Mill's also run the Droughtmaster bulls with a smaller herd of Grey Brahman cows from which any crossbred bulls they like the look of are put back into the main herd.
Mr Mills said due to the dry they cut back their bull numbers to 15, of which five are Droughtmasters bulls which are joined with selected breeders.
"We usually them for 90 days, from October to December, with our 550 head, 75pc Brahman content breeding herd.
"We had to veer from our normal joining period because of the dry last year. The bulls went out in October, but we're only just pulling them out now.
"We mate heifers as yearlings and anything leftover is kept for another 12 months."
Mr Mills said they'll stay the course with their breeding program for the time being.
"We'll keep selling the weaners through the saleyards as it keeps our operation simple."
He said down the road they'd like to put a pen of the Droughtmaster x Brahman steers into a feedback trial.
"We know they sell well, but we'd like to find out more about how the cross is going."