THEIR daughter's interest in showing cattle not only led to her career in livestock in Canada, but a successful premium market for Garry and Jennifer Fletcher.
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The Fletchers breed Limousin cattle at The Bluff, Bluff Rock, just south of Tenterfield, and are first-time vendors at the Glen Innes Potential Show Steer Sale on February 28.
Their daughter Samantha was a keen parader while at school, and in 2008 the family started a small Limousin stud.
Samantha has now been working in Canada for the past four years, after first being offered a position at a Gelbvieh stud, thanks to her passion for livestock.
Mr Fletcher said the stud hasn't sold bulls for a few years, with the focus being on the premium show steer market.
"You've got to know what to look for, for the show market," he said.
"They've got to have that evenness, depth and thickness. If they're naturally thick off their mum, and they're out of a good quality cow, you know they'll do well.
"We also pick the Limos that are a little bit softer and finish well."
The two purebred Limousin steers in the sale are September calves, currently weighing about 220 to 230 kilograms.
"That weight gain is just on grass, so when they do hit the grain, they start to respond," Mr Fletcher said.
"We'll start them on a small amount of grain this week so when they wean off mum, whoever buys them can put them on a grain ration and they'll keep going ahead.
"It makes a big difference to the end article when they don't have a setback."
Buyers have had plenty of success with their steers, including wins at Ekka, the North Coast National at Lismore, and Toowoomba Ag Show.
"There's been a line-up to get our steers," Mr Fletcher said.
"A few years ago one of the steers won at Ekka and the next bloke came down the next year and bought seven of the top steers."
One of the steers in the Glen Innes sale is a half brother to a steer that won the prime section at Ekka with Travis Luscombe.
The Fletcher steers have done particularly well at Ekka, with the best result being grand champion led steer, awarded to Voodoo Child, with buyer Scott Bartley from Warwick.
Voodoo Child weighed 594kg at 12 months and was sold to Breakfast Creek Hotel, who paid $56 per kilogram dressed weight at auction.
"He won his heavyweight class then grand champion, and he won reserve champion heavyweight carcase," Mr Fletcher said.
An exceptional catalogue
Potential show ring stars, many of them from repeat vendors with impressive track records, are among the draft for the 13th annual Glen Innes Potential Show Steer Sale at Glen Innes Showground February 28.
On offer will be 28 steers and four heifers, bred by vendors from Toowoomba to Wallabadah, with bidding available in person and online through Elite Livestock Auctions.
Agent Shad Bailey, Colin Say and Company, said it was an excellent line-up with proven genetics throughout the catalogue.
He said the cattle would present very well, ranging in weight from 150kg to 400kg, with the majority of the offering between 200kg and 300kg
"Being in our 13th year we have a lot of repeat vendors that have had great success not only at the sale, but have gone on to reward the purchasers at major shows," Mr Bailey said.
"This concept has worked being only one of two sales of its kind with many vendors purposely breeding for this sale.
"We look forward to sale day and show day, but we get the most pleasure out of following the entries and monitoring their progress throughout the whole process, watching the kids get satisfaction of their achievements, along with working closely with our professional feeders and fitters to make all our events bigger and better for everyone."
Colin Say offers buyers two $1000 jackpot bonuses for the steer or heifer with the highest pointscore (hoof and hook combined) at both the Ekka and the Colin Say Led Beef Extravaganza.
Also on offer will be six lots of three Limousin/Murray Grey-cross future breeders from Tyson and Courtney Will, TCW Livestock.
"These are sired by the renowned Oakvale Kenton (Limousin) out of former stud Murray Grey Cows," Mr Bailey said.
"Kenton is the sire of the reigning Glen Innes Potential Show Steer Sale grand champion, reigning Ekka champion (2019), and has sired champion steers at the Led Beef Extravaganza along with many ribbon winners and championship winners on the show circuit."
Last year's sale reached a record 1700 cents a kilogram for a 240kg Limousin steer bred by Tyson and Courtney Will. The steer, returning $4080, was purchased by Luke Cox and Emily Kahler of L and E Contracting at Glamorgan Vale, Queensland.
