THE LAND | Thursday, February 12, 2015 LIVESTOCK 53● ● ● ●

First time entrants sweep poolIN WHAT was a year of firsts for

the Beef Spectacular FeedbackTrial, inaugural entrants took out

the top two accolades for 2015.James and Sally Morse, “Wongalee”,

Molong, had three teams of BlackSimmental Angus steers in the top 10placings, including the grand cham-pion and reserve champion pen offive steers.

It was also the first time a BlackSimmental had placed in the top 10,while Speckle Park genetics also featured in the top placings for thefirst time, coming in third, eighthand 10th.

The grand champion pen of fivereceived 821 points from the possible1000, and were more than 20 pointsahead of the nearest competitor.

This included being placed first forboth feedlot entry and feedlot per-formance, from the 95 teams ofsteers, equating to 475 head on feedfor 100 days at the Teys AustraliaJindalee feedlot.

The winning steers weighedbetween 386 and 434 kilograms atinduction and all received full pointsfor feedlot entry specifications.

Finishing between 654 and 700kg,the steers had an average weight gainof 2.6kg per day, well above the2.17kg averaged across the trial,meaning they were also placed first infeedlot performance.

The team recorded a profit of$624.69 above the average for all trialteams.

The reserve champion pen, fivesteers of the same breeding from thesame producers, were awarded 795.5points overall, with a team profit of$404.06 above average.

As well as placing equal first forfeedlot performance, weighing 428 to 446kg, the reserve steers hung up well, placing sixth in the carcasedata ranking, with all but one meet-ing the Riverine Premium brandspecifications, and the fifth qualify-ing for the Riverine Tender Cutbrand.

Finishing between 648 and 731kg,they had a hot standard carcaseweight (HSCW) of between 353 and405kg, and all but one steer receivedthe full 20 points for marbling, scor-ing a 2 on the Aus-Meat scale.

Minnamurra Pastoral Company,Boggabri, was awarded third placeoverall for a pen of Speckle ParkAngus cross steers that placed firstfor carcase data and achieved a teamprofit of $773.44 above average.

Weighing between 422 and 430kgon entry, the steers dressed atbetween 52.3 and 57.1 per cent, withP8 fat of 10 to 19 millimetres and eyemuscle area of 80 to 95 square cen-timetres.

Achieving 788 points overall, theSpeckle Park Angus steers had an

average weight gain of 2.7kg a dayand all but one received full pointsfor marbling.

The importance of complete lifetraceability was highlighted in thetrial this year, with each steer in thethird placed team from Minnamurradeducted 10 points for incorrectlyconsigned property identificationcodes (PIC).

Minnamurra, which entered fourteams of Speckle Park/Angus steers,also placed eighth and equal tenthoverall, as well as first, second, thirdand eighth in the carcase judging.

The pen of five that placed secondin the carcase judging received closeto full points for carcase weight, withHSCW weights between 369.5 and384.5kg, having weighed from 644 to729kg at slaughter.

They also achieved full points forfat colour, and only one steer didn’trecord full points for marbling.

The Minnamurra team rankedthird for carcase data was only three points behind that in secondplace, and was also placed equal 10thoverall.

In eighth place overall, and in car-case judging, as well as third in feed-lot performance was a pen ofMinnamurra steers with a team prof-it of $757.88 above trial average.

The CAAB champion pen againwent to Frank and Andis Sorraghan,“Wisconsin”, Wagga Wagga, whosepen of five Angus steers were alsoplaced fifth overall.

The team profit sat at $274.84above trial average and they rankedfourth in feedlot performance withan average daily weight gain of 2.45kgper head.

After winning the reserve championgong last year, Hicks Beef, Holbrook,had the fourth and seventh placedteams with their Australian BeefComposites.

The fourth-placed team had a teamprofit of $575.52 above average, hav-ing come seventh in feedlot perform-ance and fifth in carcase judging.

The Hicks family has consistentlyranked in the top 10 for the FeedbackTrial.

In equal 10th place overall was theMillner family from “Rosewood”,Blayney, who had also performedsolidly in the trial in the past.

This year the Millner team ofCharolais/Angus Charolais/Short-horn cross steers were the RiverineTender Cut champion pen andplaced sixth in feedlot performance.

Trial Analyst Jeff House, Forbes,said feedlot entry compliance was 92per cent this year, about on par withprevious years.

“They averaged 2.17 kilogram perhead per day in the feedlot, and it has been 2.16kg for the past twoyears, so we have had really consis-tent weight gain in the feedlot, which is a credit to exhibitors and a

credit to the feedlot team to be able toachieve those weight gains,” he said.

In the carcase performance, therewas a 70pc compliance rate, with12pc falling in the optimum category.

Mr House said a slightly increasednumber of lighter steers on inductionequated to lighter carcases, whichimpacted the compliance rate.

“Marbling was back marginally,averaging 1.2 on the Aus-Meat scale,compared to 1.4 last year, and we hadpretty much the same spread in bon-ing groups from 2 to 10, a little bitless marbling has seen a fraction lesscattle getting into boning groups 2, 3,and, 4,” he said.

Of the 475 animals entered, 470qualified for one or more of the four brand specifications, includ-ing 50 head for Riverine Premiumand CAAB, 68 for Riverine Prem-ium, 76 for CAAB, 250 for RiverineTender Cut and 26 for RiverineClassic.

Mr House also reiterated theimportance of producers ensuringproperty-to-property transfers wererecorded for each animal.

“In situations where animals arecongregated to go to a feedlot, thosesorts of errors cause problems – Ican’t stress enough the importance ofcorrectly updating database informa-tion,” he said.

Mr House also said it was a credit tothe entrants on getting animals readyfor trial given how dire seasonal con-ditions had been in parts of thecountry.

Certified Angus Group chief executive Kate Brabin with feedback trial winners James and Sally Morse, “Wongalee”, Molong,and trial co-ordinator Brett Tindal, The Land.

By JAMIE--LEEOLDFIELD

TWO big changes in thepast decade haveincreased production,

decreased workload andimproved profit at “Wongalee”,Molong.

They have also helped Jamesand Sally Morse win both thegrand champion and reservechampion pen of five steersawards at the 2015 BeefSpectacular Feedback Trial.

First came a shift towardsholistic management abouteight years ago, and morerecently a change in geneticbreeding direction has beenachieving results.

They now rotationally grazebetween 400 and 600 head ofbreeders on about 1000hectares, plus weaners andtrade cattle on a further 400ha.

“Initially we had a mixedfarm with cropping, but wewanted to simplify everythingand get back in tune with theenvironment,” Mr Morse said.

“It also allowed more timewith the family, to do what wewant to do when we want todo, and cut our input costsright down – we haven’t fer-tilised in about 10 years.”

Cows and calves get movedevery day on a 90- to 120-daycycle before returning to pad-docks, which are 50 per centimproved phalaris, cocksfoot,Lucerne and clover, and 50pcnative pastures at “Wongalee”,and 100pc improved pastureson the trade block.

It was the introduction ofcattle from the New Englandinto this system which broughtabout the change in breeddirection for the Morses.

Running predominatelyAngus and Angus/Shorthornfemales, about 70 per cent ofbulls used this season wereSimAngus.

The results achieved in thefeedback trial have proved toMr Morse that was the rightdecision.

Their grand champion teamof five Black Simmental/Angussteers, as well as the their team

which placed ninth, were pur-chased from WombramurraBlack Simmentals, Nundle, asweaners.

The team in reserve were ofsimilar breeding, having alsobeen purchased as a weanersfrom a New England propertythat used Wombramurra BlackSimmental bulls.

“In March last year we startedgetting cattle over on agistmentfrom Wombramurra, and wereally liked the temperament,phenotype, fertility and doabil-ity, which convinced us to godown that path,” Mr Morsesaid.

“What got us over the linewith the SimAngus, particular-

ly the Wombramurra ones, wasthe temperament – they arejust so quiet in the paddock.”

The Morses then purchased30 SimAngus heifers and ayearling SimAngus bull fromWombramurra in August, withthe first drop of the progeny tohit the ground this year.

“Hybrid vigour is one of thecheapest advantages you canget and we hope to see a bitmore hardiness come intothose crossbred females, and abit more longevity as well,” Mr Morse said.

“With the SimAngus therewill be a potential for hybridvigour to come through bothin the female milking traits

54 LIVESTOCK THE LAND | Thursday, February 12, 2015● ● ● ●

Proving best

ABOVE: SimAngus heifers at “Wongalee”, including half sisters tosteers in the grand champion pen of five.

By JAMIE-LEEOLDFIELD

HOLISTIC management has also meant increased flexibility in the marketing of stock for James and SallyMorse, “Wongalee”, Molong. While keeping them on to feedlot entry weight was thedesired outcome for steers, Mr Morse said this pastseason was the first time it had been viable in recentyears.

“Last year was the first in five or six that theseasons have gone with us to allow us to hold ontoour steers,” he said.

“When that hasn’t been the case they have beenmarketed as weaners on auctionsplus, but if we holdonto them we target that feeder weight - we do liketrying to get them to the feedlot if we can.

“If we need to offload cattle earlier because of theseason, we already have cattle earmarked for that andhave plans in place to destock early if the seasonsdon’t go with us.”

Entering the feedback trial for the first time this year,Mr Morse said from a commercial point of view, themoney offered at the time was pretty good.

They also were looking to road test the newSimAngus genetics.

“We have been working closely with Wombramurra,having purchased females and top priced yearling bull,see how their cattle perform not just in our system butin the feedlot system, which is a massive part of theindustry here in Australia.”

More marketing options

and in the carcase traits of the proge-ny.”

The grand champion team of steerswere ranked first both for feedlotentry and feedlot performance judg-ing, had an overall points score of 821from 1000 and recorded a team prof-it of $624.69 above the trial average.

An average daily weight gain of 2.6kilograms per head and a clean bill ofhealth, as well as full points forinduction weight and fat, were stand-out attributes of the winning team.

“Feedlot performance comes downto the rotational grazing, because allof the animals get exposure to run-ning in big mobs with one another –if you get a small contemporary thatis isolated and put them in a biggermob, they are going to get stressedand sick,” Mr Morse said.

“We have had up to 600 head run-ning together all from different areas

of the State, and they all get exposedto different things.

“If they have a healthy immune sys-tem they can fight off infections a lotquicker and a lot easier, and we donotice the breeding animals who cantackle illness, and those who can’twill be removed from the herd, alongwith their progeny.”

The Morses also yard wean, andfeed supplement lick all year round.

“What were most pleased about wasthe performance in the feedlot,

because hopefully feedlots rememberthat,” Mr Morse said.

“You have got to be able to have ananimal to perform in whatever envi-ronment they are put into, and theseones have performed at home andgone onto perform in the feedlot aswell.”

That home environment has a largefocus on fertility.

Heifers are joined for three weeks,cows for 45 days, and everything ispregnancy tested six weeks after the

bulls come out, with the empties sold. Conception rates sit at about 90 per

cent for cows and 75 to 85pc forheifers.

“Tightening up the calving intervalis a big thing for us, as it keeps cashflow on the go a bit – we want to getthe animals working for us, not usworking for the animals, so they haveto fit into the system we run themin,” Mr Morse.

This calving system is also in theprocess of changing from an earlyspring calving to a summer calving,with the aim for calves to be bornthree weeks either side of the sum-mer solstice.

With 80 cows having calved in thatperiod this summer, there will be onelast spring calving at “Wongalee” beforethe herd moves over completely.

“We are a big believer that the calfwould much rather come out on a

warm day then on a freezing coldwinter’s day, and it also puts all ourmanagement, such as marking calvesand pregnancy testing, into the coldermonths of the year,” Mr Morse said.

“We also semen test all our bullsbefore they go out, and change themaround a fair bit in that joining peri-od, because there is a large number ofcows in small 10ha paddocks.

“Rather than putting 15 bulls out,we put five to six bulls out in theirsimilar age groups, then change themover after a week to give them a rest,to make sure they don’t wear them-selves out too quickly.”

The past three yearling bulls havebeen purchased to introduceimproved genetics 12 months earlier.

“We also like to get them used toour system at a younger age, and getused to running together and movingregularly,” Mr Morse said.

THE LAND | Thursday, February 12, 2015 LIVESTOCK 55● ● ● ●

of the new breed For the love of bugs WHEN James Morsesays he is “big on dungbeetles”, it might not beobvious how this relatesto profitable beefproduction.

It soons becomes clear,however, they play animportant role in keepinghungry mouths fed at“Wongalee”, Molong.

James and wife Sally(pictured) attended a fieldday with entomologistJohn Feehan about threeyears ago, and haven’tlooked back.

They have sinceestablished there are 14species of dung beetleswhich can exist in theirclimatic zone.

“On the average

number of cattle we carrythere is eight tonnes ofmanure per hectare peryear produced, and if allspecies get going theywill bury six tonnes ofthat,” Mr Morse said.

“We have about eight ornine species at themoment, and the pastcouple of years we havereleased new colonies ...we are still trying to work out where we cansource the other speciesto fit it.”

Dung beetles can aeratethe soil, introducenitrogen and phosphorus,reduce parasite numbersand increase waterpenetration andretention.

With the SimAngus there will be a potential for hybrid vigour to come through both

in the female milking traits and in the carcasetraits of the progeny‘ – James Morse

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