Matching pasture to program lifts productivity for Carroll family of Mudgegonga

MATCHING feed availability to the requirements of the herd has pushed one Angus commercial operation into the black.

Julian and Sally Carroll, Mudgegonga with some of their spring-calving Angus herd

MATCHING feed availability to herd requirements has pushed one Angus commercial operation into the black.

Julian and Sally Carroll run 50 Black Star Angus stud cows, and about 350 commercial breeders, on three properties they own and lease at Mudgegonga, near Myrtleford, in Victoria’s North East.

And following 20 years working off the farm, Julian brought his business acumen acquired in Melbourne and applied it to the cattle operation.

The Carroll family has been farming in the district since the 1870s.

FEED NEED

THEIR holdings, which total 510ha, are home to a finely tuned cattle production enterprise where feed use is king.

“We used to calve in autumn but changed to spring in 2009 to align peak lactation to our pasture production hump,” Julian said.

The dip in feed availability in April matches neatly with when the calves are weaned, with the cows then requiring less feed to keep them in condition.

“We changed calving dates so basically we don’t need to feed the cows, which we were doing when we were autumn calving,” Julian said.

“We don’t have to make time and use labour to feed the cows, and we also don’t need to spend money making hay, so there are savings there.

“We do make a bit of silage to wean the calves (onto) in autumn but that’s it.”

There is also the added benefit of losing fewer cows to grass tetany, which was a problem for their autumn-calving herd.

JOIN THE CLUB

THERE have also been flow-on benefits for joining percentages.

Julian said the cows had “no trouble” getting back in calf, as they were on a rising plane of nutrition in spring and were more fertile.

The herd structure is kept young, with no cows kept beyond six years.

Half of the herd is two to three years old, and each year 75 per cent of the heifer drop is retained and joined. Julian said this took a paradigm shift, as old cows were always con­sidered to raise the best calves.

“What’s so good about young cows is that surplus heifers don’t make much at a young age but older cows do,” he said.

“So anything that is surplus will make more as a cow than it would as a heifer, pushing up the income.

“But keeping more heifers also puts selection pressure on the herd and there is faster genetic gain.”

Top marks: Julian and Sally Carroll with some of their spring-calving Angus herd.

GENES FIT

SIRES used within the herd are selected on a balance of Breedplan figures, with 400-day growth rated highly.

“That is close to the age of our steers when they are sold, so the more weight gain before the spring cuts out, the ­better,” he said.

The Angus steers are targeted for the European Union feeder market, with drafts sold at about 15 months of age each December and January

Steers are almost one year old when the Carrolls’ feed peak starts again in late winter and spring.

And this, Julian said, naturally ­increased the stocking rate to use the spring flush of pastures and allowed the turn-off when they planned.

It fits in perfectly with their goal to maximise the use of the pasture they grow.

Heifers detected as not in calf at pregnancy testing, as well as culled females, are sold into grass-fed markets, usually to JBS Australia’s Farm Assurance program. The lightest 20 per cent of heifers are either exported to China to take advantage of the lucrative live export market for breeders, or carried on until they are heavy enough to meet JBS weight requirements.

SEASON GREETINGS

SUPPORTING this highly organised beef production enterprise is a commitment to growing and managing pastures in the most effective way possible.

There is a seasonal plan for pasture assessment and feed budgeting of the pastures which are a mix of perennial ryegrass and clover in the 850-950mm rainfall country.

And Julian knows the exact impact the better management and use of pastures has had on their ­business.

“From 2011 to 2014, total beef production of EU feeder steers has ­increased from 37,800kg to 52,950kg from the same area,” he said.

That 40 per cent increase in productivity has proved the changes they have made to their operation are working well.