Not many people can say that a long stint in hospital helped them research and restructure their beef operation for the better.
But Barraba's Guy and Annie Ratliff are living proof.
In 2015 Mr Ratliff was faced with serious health issues and subsequently opted to sell off their commercial Shorthorn herd and downsize the family property.
Mid-way through that year he returned to Kiandra with full health and decided to use the odd 660 hectares they had left to finally pursue an interest in crossbreeding.
"I was on the road to recovery and was looking for some cattle so I thought, I'll try a new breed and the Speckle (Park) had caught my eye," he said.
"I've always been interested in crossbreeding but never had the chance much because we had straight Shorthorns.
"We restructured the whole place; downsizing and then changing the breed...it just helped a lot starting off a fresh."
In the first two years the Ratliffs secured 46 first cross (F1) Angus/Speckle Park heifers, many from Dennis Saint at Manilla, along with another 43 Angus heifers pregnancy-tested-in-calf to a Speckle Park bull.
And so began their F1 breeding operation.
Now the herd consists of 120 F1 females and 37 replacement heifers split between an early autumn and a mid-winter calving, with a goal of reaching 170 breeders.
Early-maturing type weaners will be turned off from nine to 11 months of age from 350 to 400 kilogram.
"Our last lot of weaners sold in Tamworth to average $1835 a head," Mr Ratliff said.
A key element to those future goals is a pasture improvement program.
So far since last year 90 hectares has been dedicated to planting a mix of phalaris, prairie grass, sub-clovers, lucerne and chicory pastures with another 50 hectares planned for next year.
"We're trying to move away from growing oats just for cost reasons," Mr Ratliff said.
"Putting in oats is a costly operation for me because I don't strip my own seed and I don't store my own seed so we are moving to a pasture base."
Like everyone in the district, they were significantly impacted by drought but the doability of their new herd shone through.
"It started to rain in January 2020 and it virtually hasn't stopped so it's been fantastic," Mr Ratliff said.
"It blew me away because everyone around the district was saying the country is going to take a long time to recover but it just took off.
"In the drought the F1 cross really surprised me with how they went and they handled the drought no worries.
"They are very adaptable, they can handle heat, cold, doesn't seem to phase them and I'm just really pleased with them."
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Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
