With their country having been drought declared for eight years and counting the Gleeson family attended the 2023 Black Stump Invitation Sale to buy a Charbray bull to add some hardiness to their Charolais base herd.
Tom and Kathleen Gleeson run their beef cattle breeding operation on Ascot Downs, near Barcaldine, which they purchased in 2000. They had another block at Jericho, to help them keep their cattle going during the worst of the drought years, which they sold just before Christmas last year.
Their country on Ascot Downs consists of close to 4250 hectares of black soil downs terrain, which requires a string of good wet seasons.
"We're currently running 200 breeders at Ascot Downs, however, at the height of the dry, we destocked there. We sold the Jericho block with 300 cows, and we've just taken 300 young cattle off the Barcaldine country to go on agistment in Muttaburra," Mr Gleeson said.
The Gleesons keep their bulls in the paddock all year, I change that was also necessitated by the ongoing dry.
"Ideally we join in four-month intervals, which is a process we hope to get back to when we start having helpful seasons again."
Their primary market destination is the Blackall Saleyards where they sell a weaner-type animal, ideally at close to 300kg.
"If cattle prices hold at around 400c/kg, as they have recently, it'll be good for sellers and buyers alike."
The Charolais has been the Gleeson's breed of choice for 20 years.
"The Charolais is a good animal, but their softness meant we needed to introduce a slightly more drought-tolerant breed to produce tougher crossbred progeny. This is why we elected to purchase our first Charbray bull at last year's Black stump sale.
The Gleesons paid $23,500 for Wattlebray Swepson, the eventual top-price bull of last year's sale.
"We went to the sale with our agent, Bill Seeney, Ray White Barcaldine, and inspected Swepson in the yards, and we decided to target him in particular.
"We also met Wattlebray stud principals Trevor and Lolita Ford at that time who were who were easy to talk to.
"We brought Swepson home and put him straight in with the females immediately. He had a great temperament on sale day and that followed him home to Ascot Downs.
"Now, 12 months later, we have little yellow calves hitting the ground. We couldn't be happier with our purchase."
Mr Gleeson said the agents from GDL have done a "very good job" of presenting the sale while ensuring only quality bulls are allowed in the catalogue.
"Most of the bulls sell into the western area, which is good for the town and district.
"There are repeat vendors and buyers at the sale, which means the quality is there. We will attend the Black Stump sale in the future."
He said the Blackall Saleyards are an "excellent facility" to sell and buy through for any type of sale.
"The Blackall-Tambo council does a great job of maintaining the complex.
