Apricot trends to black at Walcha

Jeff and Kerrie Etheridge, Red Rock Limousins, purchased reserve senior champion Flemington Joker J33 for $14,500, predominantly because of his homozygous black and poll traits.

“Everyone wants black these days,” said Mr Etheridge. “We had clients asking us for black bulls so we had to look outside our bloodline and we wanted the best. The Limousin National gave us the chance to see a range of top genetics.”

The Etheridges were equally impressed with Joker’s low birthweight, a trait passed down from his sire Wulfs Spring Loaded 3158S.

Joker’s first progeny, 60 of them, are now on the ground, part of 490 head with 250 breeders on 2000ha at the eastern edge of the Tablelands.

Mr Etheridge says the bull’s low birth weight certainly contributed to a hassle free calf drop. Another 37 calves are expected by August, from first calf heifers held back from the bull after drought delayed development. But the two-part joining has made better use of Joker’s genetics.

“These are all by first calf heifers and they are all usable thanks to that light birth weight,” said Mr Etheridge. “Most are good enough to use in our stud. It shows that good breeding is an excellent investment.”

Jeff has known Donna Robson, Flemington, a long time having shown pole Hereford along side her father many years ago and on more than a few occasions caught up with each other at a Limousin sale.

“It seemed Donna was always bidding against me, successfully, on females that I had researched and wanted for my stud,” said Jeff. “That reinforced in us that Flemington ideas were similar to our own. We’re a bit old school with similar ideas and breeding objectives so it made sense that we would buy these bulls.”

The Limousin breed attracted the Etheridge family in large part due to their intelligent mothering with remarkable milking ability.

“They are very family oriented,” said Mr Etheridge. “They sleep together. They are herd oriented and a smart animal, a bit like a Brahman in that way. Treated right they have a quiet temperament. We have 2000ha in only four paddocks with only a motorbike for mustering. If they were difficult cattle I wouldn’t be able to manage them.”

Of course measuring birth weight can be an issue when not only the mother but all the breeders in the herd gather to voice their disapproval.

Limousin browse rather than gorge and as a result rarely bloat. “Limos manage their feed intake,” noted Mr Etheridge. “When we were located at Coolah we had straight stands of lucerne and never had a problem with bloat.”

Last winter was difficult after a dry summer and the herd spent nine months on the road just maintaining themselves. Rain came late this summer but in the short time feed has grown so have the cattle.”

Breed direction is moving into the main stream in the sense that more fat cover is desirable.

But Mr Etheridge says the breed’s ability to provide yield with lighter bone than other Euro breeds is a plus when it comes to production. Their cattle dress at 60 per cent and bone out at nearly 80 per cent.

Breed direction is moving into the main stream in the sense that more fat cover is desirable, said Mr Etheridge but notes the ability to provide yield with lighter bone than other Euro breeds is a plus when it comes to production. Red Rock Limousin steers dress at 60 per cent and bone out nearly 80 per cent.

The Etheridge family moved from poll Hereford to Limousin in the late 1980s when Jeff travelled to Alberta with intention of buying red and white genetics and came back with frozen semen from an apricot Limousin. Joining Joker last year was Flemington Kracker k50, interbreed junior champion at the 2015 Melbourne Royal Show.

“Breeders miss a trick by not at least trialing Limousin in their commercial cross,” said Mr Etheridge. “They are tremendous mothers, they hold their teeth for longer and can produce calves beyond 10 to 17 years. Old Limos just keep going.”