Anticipation is building for the inaugural Commercial Brahman Female Show and Sale to be held at the Clermont Saleyards from 9am on Friday, April 19.
In what the Australian Brahman Breeders Association (ABBA) hopes will become a permanent fixture on the annual sale calendar, vendors across the Belyando, Moranbah, Nebo, Sarina, Marlborough and Clermont areas will offer 700 to 900 females on the day.
ABBA senior vice president Matthew Noakes said the highly regarded producers for the sale will offer a hand-picked selection of first-rate Brahman females.
"The sale will appeal to purchasers wanting to procure a good, even, larger line of quality females or a smaller quantity, if that suits their requirements better, as numbers will be in half deck lots," Mr Noakes said.
"Confidence is strong for the sale with most in the Clermont region receiving a good season to date," he said.
On the show side of the coin, five classes will be judged, from weaners to yearlings to pregnancy tested in calf heifers and cows, and cows and calves. These sections will be judged by the keen eye of Andrew Olive, Raglan Stud, Raglan.
All females selected for the sale will be available for inspection at the Clermont Saleyards from 5pm on Thursday, April 18.
The sale catalogue is available online on the ABBA website.
A STRIKING DRAFT FROM SKYVIEW
At Clermont, Skyview Farming cattle manager Jacob McDougall is looking forward to offering 30 PTIC purebred grey Brahman cows in-calf to Simmental bulls, 25 purebred grey cows with two to three-month-old first-cross Simmental calves at foot, and 30 number-3 grey Brahman heifers.
He shall offer this draft on behalf of Skyview Farming business owners Tom and Clare Mifsud who own a property north of Clermont. The Mifsuds have been in the Clermont region for more than 40 years predominantly as grain producers. They purchased additional mixed cattle/farming properties, Kinsale and Glenidol, in the past 10 years to expand their cattle production. Their Clermont country consists of lighter scrub country to heavy black soils flats, which is utilised to grow summer and winter fodder crops.
"This year we've been very fortunate with a great start to the year followed by storms, which have kept the place green and the paddocks full of grass. The cattle look good with plenty of feed ahead of them," Mr McDougall said.
The Mifsuds ran a pure Brahman herd in the early days when grain farming was their main business and the cattle had to fend for themselves which is where their need and demand for Brahman cattle stemmed from.
Mr McDougall said that after trialling different breeds through unpredictable seasons, drought, and tough times the Brahman remained the core of the Mifsuds herd.
"More recently we've started to infuse Simmental bulls into our herd of pure Brahman cows. We now join about 900 commercial females a year, and we run a stud herd of close to 300 purebred red Brahmans. The Simmental x Brahman gives us a calf that performs to a high standard in any environment. Whether they're finished on grass, sent to the feedlot or crop fed."
He said they aim to have the bulls joined just before Christmas and out of the paddock by early April.
"We aim to have the best feed in front of the cows while they're raising their calves and getting back in calf. We are quite strict on our Brahman females and anything that doesn't come into the yard at branding raising a calf is culled."
Mr McDougall said they don't follow a specific market, with the season dictating the decisions they make.
"However, we predominantly sell our bought and homebred Brahman steers as bullocks on the live export market, while the first-cross bullocks go through JBS at Dinmore."
He said the draft headed to Clermont are females from the "heart of the herd".
"We are looking forward to offering our chance mated cows and first cross calves at foot as we are proud to show that we have cows to suit our country and bulls producing calves for the market.
"We feel they offer excellent examples of the versatility of the Brahman cow. And the product they can produce with any breed."
For enquiries regarding the inaugural Commercial Brahman Female Show and Sale please contact Hoch & Wilkinson agents, Jake Passfield on 0488 588 044, Tony Hoch on 0448 831 553, or Jack Ward on 0428 305 465.
