Mark and Joyce Comiskey, have been crossing Brangus bulls with Santa Gertrudis females for over a decade with consistently solid results achieved.
The Comiskeys run a 4000 head herd over a combined 20,518ha of country on three properties in the Central Highlands region with the help of three of their children and their partners.
Their home block Connemarra, west of Springsure, and Avoca, Alpha, are used for breeding and fattening, while Ronnoc Downs, situated halfway between Emerald and Springsure, is a 50/50 breeding and cropping block, where grain, hay and corn are grown under centre pivots.
Mark said they received some rain in February, and while it’s dry at Connemarra and Ronnoc Downs, over the Drummond Range are worse.
“Avoca is very dry, we’re putting lick out for the cattle away from our 400 head feedlot at Connemarra now; luckily we’ve been able to grow enough grain and hay to keep that going,” he said.
The Comiskeys breed and feed their own cattle, with bulls being their only external purchases.
“We have a Santa Gertrudis base herd at Connemarra and for the last 15 years we’ve been buying Brangus bulls to put over the Santa females, we’ve also recently started producing this cross within the Avoca herd.
“It’s a good cross, the progeny either come out black or red, they perform well in the feedlot, and fatten well for the Jap Ox trade and 70 or 100-day grainfed market.”
“Most of the 70-day cattle are currently being sent to Rockhampton, while the 100-day job is sent South.
“Bullocks are sent at 320kgs dressed, while cull heifers are sent from the feedlot at 260-280kgs dressed.”
Mark said they got ahead of the curve by starting to integrate poll genetics into the herd 20 years ago.
“We’ve slowly gotten to the point where we now have a predominantly poll herd.
“I think the polls we produce now are right up there frame-wise with horned cattle from the same cross.”
While the family has been buying Brangus bulls for years to produce the cross they favour, last year marked their first time buying bulls out of the Rockhampton Brangus Sale.
“We purchased seven bulls from from a variety of vendors last year, and we’re happy with the quality of them for the price we paid.
Mark said the poll gene, quietness, a good frame and soundness are the primary traits they look for in the bulls they look to buy.
“We’ll probably look at buying in some bulls from some of the other vendors each time we attend to diversify the bloodlines running through the herd.”