Ever since the Callander family purchased Oakdale, situated 45kms west of Mackay, they’ve solely used Brangus in their commercial operation, with the majority of their bulls sourced from the annual Rockhampton Brangus Sale.
Drew and Lisa Callander, along with their children Jye, Trent and Abby, run a 800 head herd on 2023 hectares of diverse country where black soil flats back onto the undulating ranges of the Blue Mountain area.
The family had also been growing cane, but with their emphasis now on improving the cattle operation, they produced their last crop this year, and have switched to growing improved pastures and forage sorghum.
“We have Pangola, Signal, Rhodes, Tully, and Splendour grass for feed, and we’re in the process of integrating V8 Stylo and Mekon under three large centre pivots,” Drew said.
“We’ve purchased a second property in our area that we will use as a breeder block, though until we get our numbers up we’re looking to buy steers and heifers to feed up on the improved grasses and sorghum at Oakdale,” he said.
“Our goal in the future is to have 1300 to 1500 homegrown steers feeding on the irrigated pastures.
“Hopefully we reach a market that is looking for well-conditioned grassfed cattle that we produce.”
It’s for this reason that the family hasn’t sold any cattle for 12 months, though Drew said when selling resumes, steers will be sent to the Sarina and Nebo sales, or the feedlots or into the live export market, while cull heifers will be fattened and sold to the works.
Drew said the family got into Brangus from the get-go when they purchased Oakdale eight years ago.
“We like the Brangus breed for the quality of the meat produced, high calving percentages, easy doing ability, and they handle our conditions well.”
The family has been attending the Rockhampton Brangus Sale for as long as they’ve been using the breed, and Drew said great drafts of bulls are always on offer there.
“We bought four bulls last year at the sale, which went into the paddock with our two year old heifers.
“Through the years we’ve mainly bought bulls from the Pearce family at Telpara Hills, as being situated on the Atherton Tablelands, their cattle handle the heat well which is a necessity where we are.”
He said the very first bull they purchased at the sale was the 1055kg Telpara Hills Franklin.
“He remains one of the best purchases we’ve made, he’s produced some great lines of calves for us and you can really see his head shape, length and weight reflected in his progeny, we’re still using him today.”
Drew said the number one trait they look for in the bulls they buy is a quiet nature.
“Our kids are always working around the cattle in the yards so ensuring our bulls are calm is of paramount importance to us.
“The overall physical appearance of a bull, along with beef scans and scrotal size are other attributes we pay close attention to when making our purchases.”
Looking ahead, Drew said once the irrigation is set up and working well, they’ll be looking at entering into the grassfed steer carcase competitions held during the year.
“We want to gain a better understanding of where we stand in the industry, and from that feedback we receive, improve the beef we produce which will hopefully attract increased interest from the feedlots and other buyers.”