Australian bucking bull breeders are continuing to chase American genetics to improve their herd with artificial insemination programs gaining momentum in many breeding operations.
Peter and Jaz Wallace from Wallace Bucking Bulls at Biolela have been at the forefront of this transition in Australia and have made quite the name for themselves with the genetics they've imported and introduced into the industry.
Based on 404 hectares (1000 acres), Mr Wallace has been breeding bulls for the past 20 years but only began importing semen straws from the United States around eight years ago to improve the quality of his herd.
"Americans have been breeding for a long time over there, they're at the forefront of the game in the bucking bull industry with their genetics and we just wanted to make up some ground and we thought that was the best way for us to go," he said.
"We've had great success with the offspring from the American imports so far, with some winning and placing in many bucking bull futurities and following through to be brilliant rodeo and PBR bulls."
Mr Wallace grew up in a rodeo family and was exposed to the sport at a young age, riding his first open bull when he was 17.
There's money to be made in the bucking bull industry at the moment that's for sure.
- Peter Wallace
"Once I put my rope down and stopped riding I wanted to continue on with it," he said.
"I've always been really keen on breeding bulls and passionate about the sport and I wanted to do it properly and invest in the industry."
Currently stocking around 80 bulls and 50 cows, Mr Wallace and his family run an AI program every year, with numbers fluctuating depending on the season.
"We mostly do fixed time AI at home just because it's so much easier for us," he said.
"We find it easier to do that with how busy we are and we've had a pretty good success rate so far.
"We were probably some of the first to breed and have success with an American bull called Yellowjacket, we bred a lot to him initially and our success rate was fantastic so we have carried on a lot with his line over the years."
Mr Wallace said they also try to run an embryo program each year and are gearing up to commence their next one in October this year.
"We try and do an embryo program once a year to give us a few extra calves," he said.
"We lease recipient cows from other places for that side of it when we can't carry the cows at home due to herd numbers.
"We just picked some calves up the other day from Murgon from recipient cows that we leased and bred to a couple of bulls from the United States- High Tensile and Air Time."
Top quality bucking genetics don't come cheap either.
"It's nothing to pay $1000 for a straw of semen," he said.
"The contractors in America never used to send their genetics over here but they're starting to realise the demand for it now.
"Now there are auctions specifically for market stock, and there's more people from the US trying to market their bull genetics in Australia.
"There's money to be made in the bucking bull industry at the moment that's for sure."
Mr Wallace said the calibre of bulls featured in the Australian rodeo circuit had improved substantially over the years.
"The bulls have definitely improved ten fold, I have gone to a lot of rodeos and heard people comment on the riders not trying but they don't realise how much better the bulls are than they were 10 years ago," he said.
This year they were asked to contract to the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo for the first time, where they provided 14 open bulls and four second division bulls for the event.
Related Reading: Mount Isa Rodeo bull ride buckle won by NSW's Troy Wilkinson
