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BEFORE Daryl Cameron "Lochiel Park", Cann River, Victoria, joins his Angus/Simmental cows with Charolais bulls, he joins them to a Red Angus bull for the first calf.
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Mr Cameron, pictured with Euro-cross vealers, said he doesn't join the heifers with the Charolais bulls straight away to ensure an easy calving for his heifers.
"As the heifers are joined at 15 months and are still growing themselves, generally they don't have quite enough milk to feed a Charolais-cross calf," he said.
"It's a struggle for them to feed the calf to the required fat cover and weight at nine months old."
Mr Cameron has been buying bulls from Terry and Mayleen Griffin, "Temana", Barradine, for more than 20 years due to the hybrid vigour resulting from joining Charolais bulls to Angus cross cows.
The Charolais cross calves usually reach a weight of 200 to 275 kilograms by the time they reach nine and a half months old and have a quick growth rate.
Calves are sold directly from their mothers but are also on rotational grazing on improved pastures.
"We supplement that when there's a lack of feed in summer and autumn with silage," Mr Cameron said.