EARLY joining sets a profitable rhythm for the Green family, in rolling hills at ‘Bundalong’, Utungun via Macksville.
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Mick credits his father, whose name he shares – along with a passion to work cattle - for bringing the family enterprise into today’s commercial reality, first with Herefords and later with composites following the lead of another valley breeder, Roger Swan, in using criss cross Charolais by Brahman bulls. The Greens recognised those benefits of hybrid vigor to good effect on their Brangus breeders.
These days the family looks after 324 hectares in a combination of ownership, lease and management. Their Angus females are joined to Santa Gertrudis bulls with their female progeny allowed to run with a terminal Charolais to produce calves that tick all the right boxes when it comes to finished weight.
The family’s breeding herd is split with one half presenting to a Santa bull and the others joining to pure Angus to maintain that genetic line.
Most breeding cows drop their calves in May and June which can result in calves yard weaned before Christmas.
The timing makes sense when the whole calendar is taken into consideration.
Calves drop in the dead of winter, which isn’t so harsh these days on the mid north coast, yet it is a time when tick and disease pressure is at their annual ebb.
True there's not much feed around, but between mum and bub there’s really only one mouth to feed – the cow – and because she’s been weaned off last year’s calf so early in the summer season she has stored plenty of fat.
“I don’t wean early every year,” Mr Green said. “But if I’ve got feed at the right time that will be the cheapest feed ever stored - straight to fat. It costs nothing and doesn’t go bad in the shed.
“With that on board we can afford a winter calf drop.”
Come high summer, when the grass is getting hard to contain, the calves are ready to seriously feed on pasture. At this time, when there are more mouths to feed, less green growth goes to seed.
There is a marketing benefit in this timing too, with the Greens able to present weaners for sale or direct consignment earlier in the season if prices suit.
Come April, when saleyards are chock full of weaners, the Green’s calves are long gone and their breeding herd has late season pasture all to themselves.
The system obviously works and has attracted the attention of Hollywood with film stars Bryan Brown and his partner Rachel Ward, who for years have contracted the father and son team to look after their property.
