LOYALTY, as much as the old chestnut about leaving unbroken things as they are, runs deep with Bruce McMurray, Monview, Keith.
The producer in Mr McMurray recognises quality from the get-go and he sticks with it. If it's not broken, why fix it, he ponders.
This explains his devotion to the Angus breed.
"I am not a big producer by any stretch but I have been growing Angus cows all my life," he said. "My father started doing it on the family farm back in the day and I'm doing it now because I just like Angus cows.
"We run a black Angus herd.
"The Angus always seem to be in demand. The feedlotters like them and whether they do better than other cattle breeds when they're in the feedlot, I don't know.
"But I do know they are an easy-going breed and they have good growth rates.
"Their temperament is great and they have a good frame.
"They seem to do well in this area and are very popular and that's one of the reasons I have stuck with the Angus instead of picking up another breed.
"Besides, it's what I know."
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Putting the producer aside for a moment, the down-to-earth guy in Mr McMurray values loyalty, a commodity others might discard for reasons known to themselves.
It's a personal thing and sheds light on his links with Mat Cowley, Roseleigh Angus, Pinnaroo.
Roseleigh is a family-run operation, as is Monview. It's steeped in history. In 2005, it was recognised for 50 years of registered cattle breeding and Mr McMurray regards them as forward thinkers, who produce cattle of the highest order.
I just went to the sale and had a look, liked what I saw and started buying with the idea that we would see how things might go.
- BRUCE McMURRAY
"There are lots of different Angus studs about the place but I like the way Roseleigh goes about things and the look of the bulls Mat has to offer," Mr McMurray said.
"I have probably been doing business on and off with Mat for eight or nine years.
"No way am I one of his bigger clients but I am delighted to have started a business relationship with Roseleigh.
"I buy only from Roseleigh and I can tell you Mat's articles certainly look good. They are very well structured bulls and for me their growth rates are right.
"They suit our females down to the ground because we are striving to grow the best meat we can and having their bulls to join with our cows and heifers has added quality, weight gain, softness and a good carcase. Monview is EU-accredited so we on-sell into the feedlots or into the weaner sale at Naracoorte.
"We sell them anywhere between 400 and 450 kilos when they're 10 to 12 months old."
Early success with sire stock keeps on giving
STICKING with a proven plan has always stood Bruce McMurray, Monview, Keith, in good stead.
"I have not changed from the time I bought my first bull off Mat (Cowley, Roseleigh Angus) when they were sold across the road from me. Back then I just went to the sale and had a look, liked what I saw and started buying with the idea that we would see how things might go and it's good."
The EU-accredited Monview purposefully seeks bulls featuring high grade EBVs.
Mr McMurray said Monview wanted bulls with a "good live weight" for ease of calving, and sires with identified good growth rates at 200, 400 and 600 days.
The McMurrays run "about 100" purebred cows on Monview, a slice of relatively flat, loam ground stretching to 760 hectares in the shadow of Mount Monster, a landmark rising almost 100m above its surrounds.
They bought Monview, so named because of the proximity of its "natural neighbour", in 2000 but recently added another block, lifting their landbank to a tick over 1000ha.
Theirs is a diverse operation, split between livestock and cropping.
"We run only two bulls and there's always a younger one and an older one," Mr McMurray said. "We're not big but we stick at it."