Loid and Zabby Appleton believe there is always room for improvement.
And the co-owners of Appleton Cattle Co, Clermont, are constantly working towards growing their numbers, as well as improving the quality of their herd.
And this is where using Simmental genetics in their Brahman herd has made a huge difference.
Mr and Mrs Appleton, Yarmina, run the company with Mr Appleton's brother Fred and his wife Anna, along with his parents Dale and Kris.
The family runs a number of properties in the Belyando River and Hughenden regions, with the help of managers on some properties.
They breed and fatten on all of their properties, running around 13,000 breeders.
They started the company 15 years ago with a single property, and initially bred predominantly Brahman cattle.
"We had a bit of a mixed bag as far as quality," Mr Appleton said.
But after only two years, they decided to start using Euro bulls to improve their herd.
"Our goal was to build our numbers in the herd, but to also improve our line of cattle," Mrs Appleton said.
"We were chasing the bullock market and needed more bone."
We look for a more traditional bull, with a good, strong carcase. We want something that is going to breed us bulls.
- Loid Appleton, Appleton Cattle Co.
Mr Appleton said there was 'a lot of trial and error' with a number of breeds.
But when they began using Simmental and Charolais bulls, they saw the results they were looking for.
They were especially impressed with their suitability to their country.
"They survive really well up here," Mr Appleton said.
They started using Simmental genetics around 12 years ago, putting Simmental bulls over their Brahman breeders.
Mrs Appleton said they go through their first-cross heifers very carefully, keeping only the very top, and spaying the rest.
The keeper heifers are then joined again to a Simmental bull.
The Appleton family continues to breed pure Brahman, Charolais and Simmental females and put them with their respective bulls in order to get pure bull calves.
They breed between 60 and 70 replacement bulls each year for use in their own herd.
But when they do buy bulls, they are looking for a particular type.
"We look for a more traditional bull, with a good, strong carcase. We want something that is going to breed us bulls," Mr Appleton said.
He said they had bought bulls from a number of studs, including Meldon Park stud, Dalby, and Billa Park stud, Jackson.
The Appleton family has also introduced a controlled joining.
Mr Appleton said so far, they were joining for around six months of the year, taking the bulls out in the winter, but they were working towards eventually having a three-month joining.
Cows are pregnancy tested, and culls and older cows are sold to meatworks.
The Appletons said the cross had produced plenty of change in their herd, including better growth.
"The cross has improved our carcase," Mrs Appleton said.
"But it has also brought a quieter temperament."
The Appletons are finishing bullocks on grass at between two-and-a-half and three years old.
They are sold over the hook when they reach between 320 and 350 kilograms.
But their bullocks always attract a premium, because in 2015 Appleton Cattle Co became certified organic.
Their beef, which is certified with Australian Certified Organic, is bought by organic buyers Arcadian Meat Co.
"We weren't really using a lot of chemical, we didn't use dips or pour-ons, so it wasn't that much of a change," Mr Appleton said.
"Luckily we have the land and soil type that support us."
Mrs Appleton said they may expand their cattle enterprise more in the future, but they plan to continue to improve their herd.
"There is always room for improvement," she said.
