Australian Brangus have the flexibility to be used as a maternal base, a terminal sire line or as a pure self replacing herd. However you choose to incorporate Brangus genetics into your program, the attributes of the breed will ensure your are taking a step in the right direction.
MAGIC
MATERNAL MOTHERS
Brangus females are well known for their mothering
ability. Excellent temperaments, calving ease and high fertility ensure
that Brangus females are sought after by progressive cattle breeders.
High reproduction rates, calving ease and strong mothering instinct
aid calf survival. Excellent milking ability from sound functional udders
give calves a strong start to life.
Many breeders are using terminal European
sires over their Brangus female herd. These calves have the best of
both worlds with the increased muscle pattern and growth from the sire.
The Brangus female contributes a live calf and a milk supply to take
advantage of the growth potential of these calves’ genetics.
Bob Summerville, Glenbrook Charleville
reported
“ When we moved from the Brisbane Valley to Charleville we
were amazed at how easily the Brangus cows adapted to the mulga country.
The decider came when drought hit. Where the other breeds calving percentages
decreased, the Brangus cows calved every year without fail, producing
strong boned and well-muscled calves. They also proved to be good walkers
in the paddocks a necessity here where the distances between waters
are substantial.”
BEEFING UP WITH BRANGUS
There are many advantages in crossbreeding with Brangus sires
no matter what breed of female you have. Brangus bulls are renowned
for producing light birth weight calves and the calving ease advantage
of the breed means you can use Brangus bulls over heifers with confidence.
F1 heifers sired by Brangus bulls carry high maternal value,
fertility, milking ability and hybrid vigour and are valuable heifer replacements
to retain in your program.
Brangus bulls sire carcasses of high quality that will finish extremely well at any age for your targeted market be it grain crop or grass fed. Brangus steers are noted for their high quality carcase which has been proven by many successes achieved in carcase competitions and feed back trials all over Australia.
John and Jo Searle West Point Gulargambone NSW crossed a Brangus bull over their Hereford herd they had developed over twenty years.
“By using Brangus bulls over our Hereford
cows we achieved a 15% weight advantage at weaning. All the Brangus sired
“Super Baldies” have excellent eye pigmentation and superb
temperament.
Our market objective is to produce 400kg feeder steers at 13-13 months.
The feedback we have received from feedlots on our ‘Super Baldies’
has been nothing but favorable/ Brangus bulls have improved marbling scores
from 1(Straight Herefords) to 2 and 3 (Brangus sired ‘Super Baldies’)
Dehorning has become a thing of the past.
We retained the first drop of ‘Super Baldie’ heifers, which
we joined, back to Brangus bulls. There has been a marked improvement
in milking ability and lactation length over the straight Herefords resulting
in more sappy calves”
SELF
REPLACING HERD
Brangus are not just a cross breeding tool, their unique abilities
allow them to handle a vast range of environments and perform as a pure
bred herd. A self-replacing Brangus herd gives producers an economic edge
with replacement heifer calves as valuable as their steer mates. The advantages
of a self-replacing herd with no need for “heifer” bulls or
purchasing replacement heifers should not be understated.
John Graham, Withersfield Pastoral
Company,
Emerald Qld reports
“We’ve been running purebred Brangus cows on Withersfield
since 1973. It’s pretty rough country –but with Brangus, no
problems. They’re hardy animals, good calvers, great mothers and
produce a top line of store steers.”