AFTER trialling a number of European and British breeds, Kaye Considine has settled on Limousin to produce grown steers and heifers for the domestic trade.
The South East commercial producer uses low birth weight Limousin bulls over large-frame British breed females, finishing the progeny on irrigated pastures to 18 months of age.
Kaye is a fifth-generation farmer on the family property at Mount Gambier, running a grazing enterprise with her mother Eileen and son Sam, 15.
Set in a 750-millimetre rainfall zone, the cattle and sheep are run over two blocks totalling 890 hectares of sandy loam, terra rossa red and black clay loam soils.
Kaye and her livestock manager Buck Collins grow a mix of lucerne, ryegrass, chicory, plantain, clover and fescue under a 62ha centre pivot.
The pivot is fed by a pro rata entitlement of 192 megalitres, while the pasture is fertilised with 160 kilograms/ha of single super and trace elements.
"We had a tough spring and hot summer last year, so we supplementary feed with hay to fill the autumn-winter feed gap,'' Kaye said.
A flock of 1700 Border Leicester-Merino cross ewes are joined to Richmond Park and Majardah Poll Dorset rams, and Oaklea maternal composite rams.
About 2000 lambs are turned-off a year into saleyards or over-hooks at 18-24kg carcaseweight.
The June 2013-drop lambs averaged $140 including skins.
Kaye has trialled Simmental and Red Angus bulls over the 220-cow autumn calving herd in an effort to find the best mix for the environment.
"In the past, I used a Red Angus bull over Poll Hereford females, and joined the crossbred replacements to a Limousin,'' she said.
"I now use Allendale Poll Hereford bulls over the pure Poll Hereford heifers, and have added bulls and commercial heifers from Red Hill Herefords.''
Kaye buys an average of two Limousin bulls a year and has 10 sires in use.
Mandayen manager Damian Gommers assists her with bull selection.
This year she outlaid $8500 for a Guardian A488 son, Mandayen Guardian H2055, a young calving-ease sire ranking in the top 1 per cent for eye muscle area and top 10pc for all dollar indexes.
The rising two-year-old 696kg bull had a 38-centimetre scrotal circumference and a docility EBV of +53.
Kay says that using larger-frame females pushes the maturity date of the Limousin-cross progeny beyond the traditional vealer turn-off age.
In 2011, she sold Limousin cross steers, averaging 383kg-430kg, for $2.25-$2.35/kg, and heifers, 338-343kg, for $2.28-$2.33/kg.
In 2012, steers averaging 420kg made $2/kg and heifers averaging 385kg sold at $1.78/kg.
Kaye says steers made $1.90-$2/kg and heifers $1.70/kg at Mount Gambier market last year.
* Full report in Stock Journal, July 24, 2014 issue.