They've become a well known brand in seedstock production but the story to success for Upper Barron's Pearce family of Telpara Hills isn't what you'd expect of most cattle breeders.
Sitting around their kitchen table at their property on the Atherton Tablelands, 1100m above sea level and 150km west of Cairns, the Pearce family reflect on the journey which saw them start with sheep, move to beef then relocate from South Australia to Queensland.
Trevor Pearce, 86, and wife Maureen 78, daughter Fiona, 40, son Stephen, 43, and daughter-in-law Brittany,41, talked over morning tea about the paradigm shift from sheep to cattle.
However, before four-legged stock, Trevor, his brother and dad bred black Australorp chickens, which is where the Telpara name originated.
"The first initial of all our names Trevor, Edwin Lovell (second name) Philip were used and blended into the Para shire where we lived," he said.
"Telpara Australorps won three South Australian Department of Agriculture egg laying competitions consecutively from 1956-58 and I guess this was our first taste of successful stud breeding".
He said creating the award-winning beef seedstock operation began nearly 60 years ago almost 3000 km south west, in the Adelaide Hills, when two former school teachers decided to follow their hearts out of the classroom and on the land.
Trevor described how initially stud prime lamb sire breeds were the Pearce family focus.
"We were successful stud sheep breeders with my brother and father from 1964," Trevor said.
Their efforts culminated one of their Hampshire Down rams being named Champion of Champions under a 17 judge panel scheme in the 1980s.
However, gradually stud Angus cattle became more important on their farm by the 1980s and early 1990s.
"Then we dispersed the stud in 1995 and came to the Tablelands, because one son worked nearby and my brother in Townsville said it was 'amazing country' and we were sick of low rainfall and droughts in South Australia."
Now after nearly two decades, Telpara Hills comprises 1550 head of cattle, of Brangus and Ultra black Angus across nine properties with a total holding of slightly over 1214 Ha (3000 acres).
As she handed around the scones, Maureen said they leased approximately half the land in use.
"We are gradually moving from leasing to owning," she said.
"We work to provide the best possible beef genetics to both seedstock and commercial buyers."
The kitchen walls feature photographs of prize-winning bulls and heifers, and from the windows, cattle can be seen across the paddocks in which a creek trickles to become the Barron River which flows down to Cairns and into the Coral Sea.
"We sell around 220 bulls a year," Stephen said.
"And we have a big commercial herd, 400 of them are recipients and the rest are made up of 350 cows and and calves."
Trevor and Maureen brought significant expertise, passion and a strong work ethic which had made their cattle well known thanks to some stellar results which included topping a national Angus sale in Albury-Wodonga.
Maureen said the pair also spent five years running dairy cattle, which was a real eye-opener.
"It really makes you appreciate milk," she said.
Trevor added they learned a great deal as the subject of pasture is never far from a dairy farmers' thoughts.
The acknowledged matriarch and patriarch remain a key part of the management team, with son Stephen the general manager who oversees genetics and sales, Fiona runs the business accounts, IVF and AI data and back-office operations, and Brittany who manages the marketing operations.
Trevor said although his sons Greg and Anthony had their main agricultural careers outside Telpara Hills, they were still very much a part of the crew.
"Greg is the general manager at Quality Livestock and Anthony is a managing partner at Hills Farm Supplies," he said.
"Anthony is also a feed nutritionist and we consult with him on nutrition and pastures and he flies up every two months," Fiona said.
"They visit regularly and give us great advice."
"We all bring different skills to the table," Stephen said.
"What sets us apart is how we all work together.
"People seem to like dealing with us because while we are very much a business, we are a family operation with a personal touch and they trust us."
Fiona said establishing and developing long-term professional relationships is vital for them and their clients.
"Our customers get to know us, they deal with different members of our family and they feel they trust us," she said.
"Recently, I had a customer on the phone who got quite emotional because he said he felt he made such a connection with our family."
Trevor said their intense interest in Brangus occurred nearly 20 years ago after Stephen won a scholarship to Texas A&M University, where he met his future wife Brittany.
This brought the purebred 3/8 multigenerational Brangus at one of the largest seed stock producer's ranch Camp Cooley, home of the Brinks herd, on their radar.
"This herd of 20 Brinks cattle in Texas was innovative as they were the first people to breed based on ultrasound scanning information to evaluate the carcass and to determine fat thickness and marbling," he said.
"This sparked our interest in the breed's potential in Australia.
"By importing elite embryos from our carefully selected donor herd we assembled in Texas our family reached a position where we have a world-class high quality herd in Queensland".
Aware that animals bred from their past Angus sires still in their AI tank after 10 years were greatly out-performing locally available fattening stock, Trevor and Maureen decided to return to breeding better quality bulls.
"What is different about the ultra blacks is we have taken the Brangus females with our great Angus bulls, then we get a rocketman calf which people say is unbelievable," Trevor said.
Last year Telpara Hills Mach Five 920R4 sold for $150,000, beating last year's sale top of $50,000.
Reflecting on 2023, Stephen said while the extreme dry weather aused cattle prices to tumble nationally, Telpara Hills had remained at the top of their market.
"We sell the majority of our commercial cattle in Queensland and NSW," he said.
"In September, we set new Ultrablack Angus bull and female records".
"Our 2023 sales results included a $100,000 New Ultrablack bull record for Telpara Hills New Limit 801S7, purchased by Shamrock Black Brangus, Gladstone," he said.
"We also achieved a $40,000 new Ultrablack record price heifer Lot 117: Telpara Hills Miss Geddes 468S29, secured by CPR Brangus, Ravenshoe".
"Once clients have purchased an animal, getting it back home is the next step," Fiona said.
"Offering free freight is an added service, when you buy an animal from us we will arrange the delivery."
Meanwhile, the family business is backed up with the assistance of four staff, Stephen said.
"They look after the cattle, do property development including fencing, water and yard infrastructure," he said.
"Good quality, consistent workers are important and we are very lucky," Brittany said.
"They also maintain the crops which include winter forages and multispecies which are sustainable."
Trevor said the business had moved on from "a ryegrass and oats monoculture to multi-species such as brassicas, chicory, clovers and grasses as they mature at different rates".
Stephen said their business model allowed them to breed surplus quality heifers which would not normally be placed on the open market due to their superior traits.
"Our customer success is our success," Maureen said.
Now the family said they are looking towards a successful 2024.
"Fiona and I are the only brother-sister team in this business I know of," Stephen said.
"But we all work together to ensure Telpara Hills, our partners and customers succeed and reach their goals."
