The 2016 purchase of ANC Kind for the top price of $18,000 at the ANC Charolais bull sale at Gulugaba has paid off handsomely for the DSK Charolais Stud, based at Coonabarabran, NSW.
They bought the young sire in a partnership with the Price family, Moongool, Yuleba, saying they were looking for a bull that would put a bit more muscle content in their herd.
At the Queensland Royal Show last week the stud claimed junior champion bull ribbon in the Charolais ring with DSK Real Big Deal R61E, and the reserve senior champion cow prize with DSK Kind Estelle Q24E, before going on to win the Progeny Stakes Group with that pair, plus DSK Kind Alima S26.
Exhibitor Chris Knox said they'd decided to go with pure French genetics, and ANC Kind was a poll bull to boot.
"There's only the one cross of poll in his sire but he's been an extremely good poller of cattle so far," he said. "His females are really good, we're looking forward to him producing."
Kind Estelle contested her class with twin calves as well, which added to the rigours of the journey north.
"It's been a bit of a battle to get her here because they're only young calves but she's done a good job on them," Mr Knox said.
DSK has been coming to the Ekka for around 40 years and Mr Knox said that while they weren't put off by biosecurity fears, travel costs were making it a costly exercise.
"It's a pretty expensive job this now, we filled the truck halfway up, there's another $600 gone," he said, adding that there was still a benefit in showing potential buyers the cattle they were breeding.
"We've got Angus cattle too - it's figure driven these days," he said.
"We will show Angus again if we want to keep an outstanding bull in our own herd and get him out to show people.
"But this just bringing a sale bull to the Royal Show, we probably won't do that again.
"Just getting a bit long in the tooth, you know."
As far as worrying about foot and mouth disease exposure, Mr Knox said it was important to move on with life and production.
"We still might be wondering in 15 years if it's going to get here," he said. "It's been around the world in a lot of places where a lot of tourists go."
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