FORMER dairyman Laurie Tillman, Cedar Point via Kyogle, has turned to breeding Charolais in his semi-retirement using Canadian genetics in the form of AI and embryo transfer to create a small line of moderately framed animals.
His hunch seems to be on-track, with a recent steer placing top of the tree at Casino Beef Week’s carcase competition.
The 439kg liveweight steer accumulated 91.2 points with 18.5 out of 20 for market specifications and a perfect score for saleable meat yield.
Mr Tillman is proud of his cow line - as is anyone from a dairying background - with genetics sourced from straight Charolais out of Canada.
The winning steer, for instance, was sired through AI – at Mr Tillman’s hand – by Mt Bluegrass out of a dam created by embryo transfer from the cow JBX Fantasy and sire Red Smoke which is known, among other things, for his red factor influence on subsequent generations.
Mr Tillman did his own embryo transfer work, the skills gleaned from his dairy days, and chose a line of grade Charolais heifers from Bonalbo as recipients.
“I used Charolais because they can handle the bigger calves and the bigger frames,” he said.
In saying that Mr Tillman spent a lot of time researching his Canadian genetics to produce a moderately framed animal to suit Australian conditions.
“It took me two years of research before I selected a cow and sire,” he said. “I look back seven generations before I buy.”
Mr Tillman acknowledged Canadian genetics were the most advanced in the world.
“I believe Australia is 15 years behind Canada,” he said. “It’s the same with the dairy game. But we’re getting closer.
Mr Tillman’s first foray into beef builds on experience learned in the dairy industry – which goes back on his mother’s side of the family to the South Coast and prior to that back in England.
“I left dairying in 2000 and sold out just in time,” he said, recalling how much he enjoyed breeding Holsteins. “You could say I’ve gone from milk to beef.”
Mr Tillman, who had help from Mitch Dundas in preparing the winning carcase steer, said he chooses his next generation of Charolais based on their correlation of parts.
“I make an assessment at four weeks old and I stick with that,” he says. “And I rarely go wrong.”
“Width equals meat so I look for eyes wide apart and a wide muzzle. That to me will be the best calf.”
Mr Tillman says judging the best animal is the same whether it’s a dairy cow, a dog, cat, bull or a chook.
“A wide muzzle and good open nostrils means that animal will take in more feed more easily.”