Santas are proving their worth in Atkins' feedlot operation at Taroom

Based at the 4,141 hectare Spion Kop property at Taroom, the Atkins believe a focus on breeding quality cattle have contributed to their ongoing market success.

John and Mary Atkins purchased Spion Kop from John's father, Brian, in 2000, and began trading steers to start.

"When Mary and I first bought Spion Kop, we were trading 660 steers a month to Kilcoy for a number of years," he said.

"In 2007, Mary and I saw the Global Financial Crisis coming, so we sold all our cattle that we had and we sat back and had ACC cattle on a weight gain basis at Spion Kop before deciding that it was time we own cattle again.

"Instead of looking for agistment country, we went looking to buy a breeding property and then we eventually bought Marqua Station."

Since purchasing the 485,623 ha property in 2011, 360 km north east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, the Atkins have been breeding all of their own cattle, occasionally buying in steers to fatten.

"All of our weaners are bred at Marqua Station and trucked each year to fatten at Spion Kop, which is managed by our daughter Trish and son-in-law Luke Gadsby," Mr Atkins said.

Their herd is predominately Santa Gertrudis base and at Marqua, they run approximately 6000 cows and maiden heifers.

They also fatten their home bred steers and bought steers, which are put through their own feedlot as 100-day grain fed cattle going to Kilcoy.

Mr Atkins said when they purchased Marqua, the cattle on the property were mainly Droughtmasters, but have since transitioned the herd to Santa.

"It's very much a purebred Santa herd today although you can still see a Droughtmaster influence in some of the cattle," he said.

"What I like about the Santas is their growth, weight for age and their doing ability in the feedlot."

The Atkins currently purchase all their sires from Dangarfield Santa Gertrudis stud at Taroom.

"Structural correctness is one of my biggest traits that I look for in a bull because they have to walk great distance to water," Mr Atkins said.

Mr Atkins said they also cultivate 648ha at Spion Kop which was predominantly forage sorghum that they cut for silage, barley that they cut for hay, and then some oats through winter.

"With the benefits of silage and oats during the winter period, all cattle are on a rising plane of nutrition and our buffel country is destocked and spelled during the winter," he said.

"This gives us more grass cover and hence a quicker response when the season breaks. The longer it stays dry, the better these management tools work."

"Our silage allows us to carry more cattle if we have to, than what we can carry in our paddocks.

"It gives us tremendous buying opportunities when it's dry...because we can buy cattle and put them on silage until it rains."

The Atkins only do one round of muster at Marqua Station which generally starts from June and finishes in August.

"It's too hot at Marqua to do two rounds of muster so we just do one and that allows us to do that," Mr Atkins explained.

"We wean down to 10-weeks-old and for all our smallest weaners, we send them to Spion Kop, while the heavier weaners we keep at Marqua as our future breeders.

"This is because we only do one muster a year at Marqua, because of the heat.

"By feeding them a silage ration at Spion Kop, the weaners average anything from 1-1.5kg per day."

Mr Atkins said they get tremendous weight gain out of their cattle in their feedlot.

"Results from Kilcoy identified our cattle had the highest percentage of milk tooth cattle of any vendors at Kilcoy," he said.

"All our slaughter cattle are milk through to two tooth, around 380-390 kilograms dressed."

The Atkins also have two properties between Longreach and Winton, Tandara and Euston, and another two north of Aramac, Fartuna and Cherhill, which are run by their son, Jack Atkins.

Atkins Cattle Company recently offloaded 551 breeder heifers online, with their heifers achieving the equivalent of 40 to 90c/kg above the AuctionsPlus average.

The offering included 338 head of heifers, which averaged 360 kg and made 375c/kg, to return $1450/hd, while their future breeders sold for 411c/kg (758.9c/kg dressed) to return $1410/hd.

"At the peak of the market, we had a repeat buyer pay 886c/kg for our future breeders," Mr Atkins said.

"I'd rather the price stay somewhere where it currently is and be sustainable."