News
A no-nonsense approach to EBV's
29th July, 2004
By Malcolm McCosker (QCL - 29/07/2004)
A practical, hands-on cattleman from the crown of his battered hat to his dusty work boots, David Salter is the last man one would expect to preach a passionate gospel of scientific measurement data in cattle selection.
Yet this stocky, no-nonsense Droughtmaster breeder can explain with crystal clarity what Group Breedplan and Estimated Breeding Values (EBV's) mean to him - and any other cattleman who cares to listen.
David, with his wife Betty and their son Cameron, run Glen Fosslyn Droughtmaster Stud plus a large scale commercial cattle operation on a 15,000 hectare aggregation of three properties in the Glenmorgan district.
In the forthright language of the bush, David's enthusiasm for objective measurement and Breedplan is more compelling than any long-winded scientific lecture.
"Scrotal size of bulls at 400 days is directly correlated to early sexual maturity in females, and that's the way you get more calves earlier," he declares. "With Droughtmasters we are getting more kilos of calf weight per cow weight, with our weaners now weighing 53pc of their mother cow weights."
"Between 1998 and 2003 our tested growth figures have increased from minus 4.3 to plus 14.2, a rise of more than 18 points in growth, from the same land and feed supply."
"It's simple arithmetic that a bullcok which reaches market weight 40 days earlier than the average for the herd will give you an advantage of 40 multiplied by the liveweight price per kg - say $1.75 per kg. That's an extra $70 you can make by turning of that bullock earlier and running others in its place."
"Group Breedplan has allowed us to identify the bulls and cows that pass on that extra growth advantage and we can capitalise on those bloodlines, as well as identify the low performers and get rid of them from the herd."
One of the Salter's top bulls identified by Group Breedplan is Clonlara 9937. Older cows by this bull have scored +31 and +39, while the younger heifer progeny have scored +30, +31 and +41.
With his data the Salters can compare known genetic types and take out the climatic effects.
"We look for mature cows with weights that are not elephants and don't eat too much grass," David said. "It is desirable to have high growth factor at 400 to 600 days. Low birth weight calves that have a high growth factor to 600 days, then tend to level out."
The central property of Glen Fosslyn covers 5670 ha and is used to run steers, first calf heifers, stud cows, bulls and most of the weaners. The original block, then around 4000ha, was taken up by David's father in 1936.
"There was only a one strand of wire fence, no axe marks on the timber and no building," David said. "Before that the only occupants were Chinese shepherds."
Other properties in the aggregation are Gaybrille Downs of 3070ha, bought four years ago, and Cooma of 6070ha bought about two years ago.
The Salters' scientific approach to cattle production starts with set stocking. This might leave the land under utilised in a bumper season. But bumper seasons can be a rare commodity in this corner of the state, so it's a far safer policy in poor seasons.
Because the country can get very hungry in dry times, the Salters have boosted cattle nutrition with around 900ha of cultivation growing oats in winter and forage crops in summer.
But David Salter's restless quest for improved performance is about to take a new turn.
"If you have enough moisture to grow forage sorghum you have enough moisture to grow more buffel grass," David said.
Proof of cattle efficiency on the Salters' aggregation shows up in weanings of 90pc to 91pc in the six years before last years drought.
The commercial end product of grassfed Japanese Ox grade steers also shows the business must be doing something right. Last year's crop of steers averaged $1085 a head, all around 24 months, with the tops selling to $1100.
"There are three vital F's in the cattle business - feed, feet and fertility," David said. "If any of these fall down you start to loose productivity."
An original Shorthorn herd herd on Glen Fosslyn started to be replaced when the Salters bought commercial Droughtmaster bulls from Ron Lee in the early 1970's.
Proof of Glen Fosslyn Droughtmasters' carcase quality has emerged in numerous steer and carcase shows, including the Dalby Beef Bonanza where they took awards as grand champion pen of grassfed bullocks and reserve champion pen of grassfed bullcoks, plus a second in the supreme pen.