Consistent carcase yield with Dorroughby Speckles

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SPECKLE Park cattle are achieving exceptional results for Dorroughby stud principal Dean Missingham, and commercial and stud breeders will have the opportunity to source some of the country's best genetics in the stud's second sale on August 27.

The Missingham family started breeding Speckle Park cattle at Westbrook, Queensland, five years ago, with the breed's strong carcase characteristics - with consistent quality - a big attraction.

"We were looking for a high value animal, choosing between Wagyu and Speckle Park, but we went with Speckle Park after quite a bit of research into the carcase results people were getting, particularly the high dressing percentages," Mr Missingham said.

"We couldn't have picked a better breed.

"We've been finishing them on our Dorroughby Stockfeeds and selling through Ashton's Butchery at Pittsworth."

The cattle are performing consistently, with dressing percentages ranging from 58 to 62pc.

"The feedback from friends, family and our butcher has been phenomenal for taste, marbling, fat content and tenderness.

"A lot of them are crossbred cattle, but we've also processed some purebreds that haven't made the cut for our stud herd."

The stud herd includes 150 recipient cattle and about 15 purebred cows, with genetics coming from high quality donor females, including five purebred females in Canada (under the care and maintenance of Calico Creek Speckle Park), which are jointly owned with Tania Paget from Pinnacle Park Speckles stud, based at Stanthorpe.

"To get our numbers we've done a quite a few embryo programs, so now we have enough purebreds to keep flushing for the recipient cows," Mr Missingham said.

"We're usually only keeping one or two breeders every year and sell the rest to give everybody else the opportunity to buy into some good genetics."

Mr Missingham's focus is on producing high quality, functional cattle that can handle all conditions.

"We do performance record animals for Breedplan which we take into account when selecting genetics, but a large part of what we do is look at progeny on the ground in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, then look at the EBVs as another tool.

"Our goal is to get a lot of leg under them so they can do the job out in the west and in the dry with bigger paddocks.

"I like a soft animal - one that moves easily and isn't going to break down in the paddock."

Female genetics used in the Dorroughby stud include LWD E14 and Codiak Unique GNK 8R, who's widely considered one of the best females in the breed.

"8R is the grand dam of some phenomenal sires we are producing now," Mr Missingham said.

"We've flushed one of her daughters that's owned by Pinnacle Park (AAA Unique Destiny) and she's producing really good cattle."

Mr Missingham has been working with Pinnacle Park stud to secure outcross genetics from Canada which will make a big impact in Australian herds.

It's one of three other studs involved in Dorroughby's invitational bull and female sale, along with Beth Vide Speckle Park, based at Mount Tyson and Adelson Speckle Park from Inverell, NSW.

The sale, held on-property at Westbrook, Qld, will feature more than 60 head, with at least 30 bulls and 30 females, along with 10 genetic packages.

The studs are hoping to repeat the success of last year's sale, where 26 bulls sold for a top of $30,000 and an average of $14,846, while 13 heifers reached a high of $28,000 and averaged $16,462.

"Last year's sale was great, but this year we've got some exceptional bulls," Mr Missingham said.

"There's a good mix of colour throughout the sale, with quite a few black bulls.

"A lot of people aren't keen on the blacks, but they're a good way to encourage Angus breeders to try Speckle Park bulls.

"With the Speckle Park black sire they get the improved hybrid vigour, feed conversion and carcase quality, but they get to keep their cattle black."

Among the sires featured in the sale are P.A.R. MX El Guapo 103E, Notta 151A Cause N Effect 309C, Underhill All Out, Dangit Matters 22D and CAJA Zeppelin 1B.

One of the feature lots is Dorroughby Recruit (DPS R29) who has been entered in the ACM Sire Shootout.

"He's by MX El Guapo out of AAA Unique Destiny, who's from the Codiak Unique 8R cow family.

"Recruit is soft, but very powerfully built, and I think he's by far the best bull I've ever bred so he'd be one that could go into a stud herd."

In the females, feature lots include 3 AAA Unique Destiny heifers from Pinnacle Park stud, and three deep-bodied females from Dorroughby that are "peas in a pod".

"We like to see consistency, and our three Dorroughby Tinkerbelle (DPS Q1, a daughter of E14) females sired by Dangit Matters are standout heifers," Mr Missingham said.

"There is a huge amount of interest in purebred Speckle Park females, and we are committed to selling our best to allow other breeders access to our genetics, and for future years, when genetics from our jointly owned outcross Canadian herd can be accessed."

The sale is on August 27, from 4pm, with bidding available in person and online through Elite Livestock Auctions.

Inspections are welcome prior to sale day with two open days on August 13 and August 20, or by appointment.

This is branded content for Dorroughby Speckle Park.