First-cross females and terminal sires deliver weight in all the right places

With minimal input to pasture, their Bos Indicus component delivers growth and do-ability while the British influence brings fertility and finishing ability.

The family property, once an agricultural research station specialising in pasture trials, was purchased by Adam’s parents Glen and Gwen along with Gwen's father Charles in 1982. Pasture improvements followed to help feed the Hereford and Angus-cross cattle that populated the place at that time.

In the early years of owning the property pastures were traditionally fertilised with super and lime and cattle supplemented with a phosphorus and calcium lick and cotton seed meal when paddock feed fell dormant.

Original pastures planted by the research station were varieties of bahia, Argentine and Competitor, which grow prolifically on the sandy loam country in a good summer and autumn, then slashed and mulched. When winter arrives the subtropical pastures are impacted by frost.

“The country is what it is,” Mr Chapman said, noting that expensive fertiliser inputs are no longer used.

“It is great breeding country. There’s no point in making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. I’ve chosen to get weight in my cattle through genetics.”

The key to this system, which has evolved since 1999 when Mr Chapman started managing the family enterprise, is the first-cross British/Brahman female, which can handle the country and deliver in a tough season while meeting market demands.

The crossbreeding is increasing weight in their cattle, with an 80 kilogram to 100kg average gain in weaners.

In past few years they have sourced their bulls from Mogul at Yorklea via Casino.

“The Mogul stud provides consistent lines of bulls with good muscle and confirmation and have accurate estimated breeding values which are a valuable tool in bull selection,” Mr Chapman said.

Brahman bulls are joined to the Hereford and Angus cows on their second calf, producing a first-cross hybrid vigour between Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus breeds.

Over the years British sires in their crossbreeding program have been sourced from Stannum, Glenwarrah, Amos Vale, Eastern Plains, Bald Blair and Eaglehawke studs.

These days Mr Chapman joins Charolais bulls to his first-cross Brahman/Hereford cows delivering calves which he says “deliver a super vigour which shows in their muscle and volume along with their weight for age and saleability”.

For the past seven years Mr Chapman has used Wakefield due to their large and consistent selection of moderately framed, well-muscled bulls each year.

“Now we join our first calf first-cross heifers to low birthweight Wakefield Charolais sires, we look for calving ease, along with good shoulder structure," Mr Chapman said.

In last year’s Northern Co-operative Meat Company vealer carcase competition – a trial designed to produce Meat Standard Australia figures for steers under 150kg liveweight, the Chapman’s calves received first prize for highest yield.

“There were many local producers who entered the competition and it provided a comprehensive report which gave great feedback to producers,” Mr Chapman said.

“During last year’s store sales at Grafton our Charolais-cross calves averaged 290kg at eight to 10 months of age. We had to buy a new Morrissey calf cradle to handle the extra width of the calves.”

At the start of their breeding program the Chapman family found a ready market selling first-cross females and during that time experimented with Brangus and Braford bulls over their Brahman/Hereford cows to no real gain.

“The first-cross versus the second-cross imitation look very similar but don't produce the consistent growth and weight of a genuine first-cross,” Mr Chapman said.

“But you soon find out once you put them on feed. The genuine first-cross calf will consistently put more weight on than the second-cross – their finishing ability is the difference.

The first-cross heifers also mature earlier.

“When we joined our straight British and Brahman heifers they are generally rising three years old whereas with the first-cross we are joining them at two years of age. They matured earlier and put more weight on so were able to cycle earlier.”

To find the ultimate terminal sire that suited their environment and available markets the Chapmans continued their experimentation. Perhaps it had something to do with Mr Chapman’s scientific and inquiring mind, having left a Sydney career in pathology to chase cattle back home.

“In the beginning my father and grandfather were chasing the vealer market and they were looking for early maturing calves, but now we go for a moderate-framed bull with a high muscle score that produces calves which can suit so many markets, from vealers to bullocks,” he said.

“Diversity is important. You need to hit as many markets as you can.”