GROWING interest in the Speckle Park breed in Australia is translating to rapid growth in memberships at its breed society, Speckle Park International (SPI), with a 45 per cent growth last year.
The breed clocked up 10 years in Australia last year and at the breed’s society AGM in Dubbo on April 16, members heard of just how significant this 10-year anniversary has been for SPI.
There were 67 new members in 2017 and a further 37 have already joined up in the first three months of this year.
There were 4244 active registered animals, as at April 1, and the overall increase in breed interest across commercial producers, feedlots, and processors has been “phenomenal”, according to SPI chairman, Dale Humphries, Oberon.
“The growth is in response to us getting more on-farm performance feedback, feedlot trial results, and carcase data in the system,” Mr Humphries said.
“We now have Speckle Park cattle thriving in every state of Australia, from tropical environments across Bos indicus females, down to the bottom of Tasmania.
“There has been particular growth in interest from larger operators and that’s on the back of feedback they are directly getting from feedlots in terms of the breed’s performance on feed, yield, and marbling – and that’s all in a first cross.”
Mr Humphries said the breed was also performing exceptionally well against mainstream breeds in the showring, with the grand champion Speckle Park bull at this year’s Sydney Royal Show selected among the top three in the Interbreed judging, together with Angus and Hereford (feature breed).
A new SPI board of directors was announced at last week’s AGM including four new Australian directors.
The Australian directors on the new board are: Dale Humphries (chairman), Wayne Munt (vice chair, new director), Gundowring, Vic, Jason Keays (treasurer, new director), Fish Creek, Vic, Justin Dickens, (new director), Yeoval, and Dennis Power (new director), Coolah.
The international directors on the new board are Robbie Clark, New Zealand, Jason Goodfellow, Canada, Derek Hayward, NZ, and John Herbert, Canada.
There was also special recognition given to two outgoing directors for their outstanding 10 years of service on the SPI board: Greg Ebbeck, Bundanoon, and Mark McKenzie, NZ.
