Angus cattle can handle a climb at Talmalmo

But Stuart Greenhill knows his Angus cattle are up to the challenge.

Mr Greenhill and his wife Ange, with the help of their sons Jack, 11, and Eddie, 10, Basin Creek, Talmalmo, run a primarily Angus herd.

And the one thing their cattle are very used to is a range of terrain, grazing from the banks of the mighty Murray River right up to the steeper country on their family property.

RELATED READING:

The Greenhills ran a Hereford herd on their property until 16 years ago, when they decided to switch to Angus.

Today their herd is primarily Angus with some Black Baldy in the mix.

Mr Greenhill said making the switch to Angus just made sense.

"The Angus just gave us a broader market for our product, and we can get a more even line," he said.

"And we wanted to get away from the horns.

"We run them on our hill country, and we can run them a bit hard, but they can handle it."

"We've found the Angus are easier to manage," Mrs Greenhill said.

The switch to Angus has also brought a change to the Greenhills' breeding program.

They now join once a year, for eight weeks from late October.

This year the Greenhills have 280 heifers joined to Hazeldean Angus stud, Cooma, bulls through artificial insemination (AI).

Their AI program is carried out by Shane Thompson and the Holbrook Vet Centre.

Mr Greenhill said they had only recently started to use Hazeldean bulls, having bought one at last autumn's sale and also at the spring sale.

Longevity in bulls is an important factor in their selection.

"We just found with other studs, the progeny was really good, but the bulls kept breaking down," Mrs Greenhill said.

"I think some studs overfeed bulls. The bulls would be good for a season or two and then they would break down."

"We just needed a change. The bulls were just too heavy or soft," Mr Greenhill said.

"I think some cattle are fed too much at a young age."

But Mr Greenhill said the Hazeldean bulls had already been showing plenty of promise.

"They've had pressure on them and they have been fantastic," he said.

"They walk really well and they are nice, quiet cattle.

"I've also been really happy with [Hazeldean's] honesty."

The main mob is set to start calving at the start of August, with the heifers to start a week earlier.

Mr Greenhill said the cows calve in the steep country, and often they have a fair walk to reach water.

"The Angus cows calve quite easily," he said. "We seem to have less calving problems than we used to."

Their calves are weaned at about seven to eight months old.

The Greenhills wean their calves in the yards, with access to hay or silage for six days until they are settled.

It is also a good time to educate the weaners. The Greenhills walk the weaners through the yards several times before they are turned out into the paddock to get them accustomed to people and the process.

"It just really quietens them down," Mr Greenhill said.

Steers are generally fattened on rye grass and usually sold just before Christmas, when they are about 17 to 18 months old and weigh in the region of 460 kilograms.

They are either sold to feedlots or sold over the hooks to JBS Australia and Teys Australia in Wagga.

The Greenhills also keep the tops of the heifers, which are joined at 13 to 14 months old.

And they are very particular about the kind of breeders they keep.

"Anything that does not have a calf the first time around is culled - there are no second chances," Mr Greenhill said.

Cows are usually culled when they reach eight years old.

"It is easier to get a heifer through tough times, while an old cow is harder to pull through," he said.