Success in the Beef Spectacular 2016 Feedback Trial was exciting for Rob and Kelly Lamoureux, “”Kingsford”, Armidale, achieving both grand championship and reserve championship in the pen of five steers.
Steers of their breeding but entered by the purchaser came second in the 2015 trial, giving Mr and Mrs Lamoureux expectations of repeating the success.
They were considering entering the competition in four or five years, but last year’s success encouraged them to select two teams for the 2016 trial.
Mr Lamoureux stressed they did not enter the competition with the intention of success, but to compare their breeding program against other entrants.
“It is not about winning, but finding out how our cattle are doing,” he said.
On their 720 hectare property in the New England, the couple are presently joining 220 cows having reduced numbers due to the recent drought, but are slowly increasing their productivity.
The composite Black Angus Santa Gertrudis cows are joined to either Black Angus, currently bought from the Dulverton stud, Guyra or Black Simmental bulls currently purchased from Wombramurra, Nundle.
“We have been trying to keep the black genes because we are in a mostly black area, and joining them to the purchased sires means we can keep the colour,” he said.
“Having the Angus Santa cross is all about having good cows because they have a tremendous influence of the productivity of our herd.”
Mr Lamoureux said he liked the Santa Gertrudis breed for it’s ability to perform in the toughest areas, but also for their conformation.
“The Santa’s continue to perform through tough times, yet they give us the best conformation for calving and productivity and for us that is important,” he said.
“The F1 is a much hardier cow, and I think the straight bred cattle tend to be a bit soft.”
Mr Lamoureux said their calves are weighed every three months, and it was noticeable the calves with an infusion of Santa Gertrudis genetics continued to put on weight through the drought.
Their replacement heifers are assessed visually for right conformation and temperament.
“We have both had long experience, and are strict on the the type of stock we want,” he said.
“We consider the heifer from the broad side, and the hips must be higher than the pin bones, with the tail preferably sloping down towards the pin bone.”
Mr Lamoureux pointed out this sets the hind legs under the cow in a better position, and it also acts as a fulcrum in straightening the back of the beast, getting away from ‘roach-backed’ stock.
It is an important trait for Mr Lamoureux because it means his cows will calve with more ease.
“Most calving problems start with pins being higher than the hips,” he said.
“We can also breed calves that are deeper and longer without calving problems.”
They also concentrate on females having a ‘wedge’ shape, with the narrow point of the wedge at the front and deeper at the rear.
“That is where the female is most productive, and if she has a deep end she will have a better calf,” he said.
“But the bulls must be opposite, deep in the front through the girth and shoulder but with a good length of neck and head.”
Breeding cattle is all about keeping everything in balance, and he rarely uses available figures when selecting new sires.
“Figures are a contentious issue with us,” he said.
“They are only a guide and we no longer follow them because concentrating on single trait selection and that will lead to other problems.”
In Mr Lamoureux’s opinion, consistency in type cannot be achieved when producers are selecting for single traits based on figures.
“We discarded the reliance on figures 15 years ago and now use them if we find two bulls with comparable conformation,” he said.
Entering the trial was as much about the interaction with other producers as doing well in the classes.
“We’ve been in this business all our lives and we are in the trial because it is full of progressive people, keen to learn from other people with different ideas,” he said.
“Everybody is trying to improve their cow herd and lift productivity, and this is a good way of letting us know we are in the right direction.”
The Canadian couple have been in Australia for 30 years, but Mr Lamoureux said he continually refers to the experience he gained working alongside the older cowboys during this youth.
“They used to refer to ‘nature’s conformation for the ruminant’, and it got us thinking about the direction we should take,” Mr Lamoureux admitted.
“Nature created a ruminant which reproduced in the natural environment and it seems through the excessive use of figures, the beef industry has moved away from balanced animals.”
Mr Lamoureux was also impressed with the quality of cattle which were colours other than black, and said he might not necessarily be tied to the colour in the future.
“We might be limiting our gene pool if we stayed with black, because there are a lot of other breeds who could compliment our program enormously,” he said.
Passionate about the beef industry, and besides breeding a few composite bulls for their own use and sale, Mr Lamoureux said he is keen to help his fellow breeders to achieve their aims, and thus he encourages producers who are not content with their cow herd like he was 15 years ago to give him a call, because it all begins with the right cow.
“We think the use of figures has gone too far, and we want to help bring the breeding of efficient quality cattle back into balance,” he said.
