IF you were to inherit a beef herd and previously had very little cattle experience, you would be hoping it was a breed that was easy care and docile.
And that is certainly what Kojonup producers Andrew and Susan Marsh received when they inherited a line of Murray Grey females from Andrew's uncle Don Torrie in 2006.
Six years since taking on the 23 Murray Grey breeders, Andrew and Susan couldn't be happier with their move into the beef industry and the Murray Grey breed.
While it has been a steep learning curve for the couple they haven't shied away from the challenges of being involved in the beef industry.
It could have been easier and less stressful to get rid of the herd, given the way the market had performed over the last five years.
Instead they have slowly increased their herd numbers from the original 23 breeders to 100 head this year, which is a good number for the operation, according to Andrew.
"We enjoy running them and haven't had any problems," Andrew said.
"They fit in well with our sheep and cropping programs which we run over two properties totalling 970 hectares."
For ease of management the cattle are run on a 470 hectare block while the Marshes' 1000-head self-replacing Merino flock is run on a separate 500ha parcel of land.
A total of 450ha is cropped over the two properties.
"We find running the Murray Greys very easy and rewarding because of the breed characteristics," Andrew said.
"They have a very good temperament and are very docile, which is really important.
"Susan hadn't had anything previously to do with cattle so it was important to us that they were quiet, as she does a bit of work and checks them when I am busy around calving time."
It is not only the temperament of the Murray Grey breed which has impressed the Marshes.
They are also more than happy with their performance in the paddock.
"They have good doabilty and finishing traits," Andrew said.
"I think they are ideal breed to run in our area as they certainly perform."
When the Marshes sold their 2010-drop steers in October the line averaged 430kg and $964 a head.
In comparison their 2009-drop steers, when sold in 2010 at an average of 470kg, averaged $120 a head less at $854.
"These prices show just how strong the market has been in the last 12 months," Andrew said.
The Marshes run their breeders, which are based on Southend bloodlines, in age groups usually heifers, first and second calvers and third and fourth calvers, which results in them running one bull to about 35 females at mating time.
The bulls are put in with the females at the end of June for eight weeks to ensure most of the herd's calving is complete by the start of seeding.
"We start calving around April 1 which means six weeks calving is out of the way before seeding starts," Andrew said.
"Usually in a normal season we get our break in late April or early May so to get the majority of calving out of the way before we get really cranked up and worried about seeding is good."
Fertility and calving ease are two other attributes the Marshes believe the breed has in their favour.
"We don't ever have any calving trouble and when we pregnancy test we also seem to get results over 90 per cent," Andrew said.
"Usually with our pregnancy testing we get around the 95-96pc mark but in 2010 we recorded only 85pc which I think was a lot to do with the season."
To ensure they keep the fertility in the herd up anything not in calf when it is pregnancy tested is automatically culled from the herd and sent to Harvey Beef.
Along with culling on pregnancy status, Andrew also likes to keep the herd young to ensure optimum performance.
Therefore once a cow has its sixth calf it is sold.
Andrew said by this time the cow was eight and from about that age on they started to break down.
"Usually at this age they are still in good condition which means we haven't lost out on production because of break downs and we can probably get a bit better money for them compared to if we kept them for a couple more years," Andrew said.
Like calving, weaning on the property is timed to fit in with harvest.
As a result the Marshes yard wean for three days in early February after harvest and school holidays.
When the steers and heifers are weaned they usually average between 280kg-300kg.
While many cattle producers tend to sell their calves at weaning the Marshes hold onto theirs and grow them out utilising their stubbles.
At weaning the calves are turned out on to cereal stubbles of barley or wheat while the cows are run on either wheat and canola stubbles for two months.
Andrew said this allowed them to give the pasture paddocks a two month spell and a clean out for worms prior to calving.
"The cattle get the best pick of the stubbles and we run wethers on the rest of stubble paddocks," Andrew said.
As part of their herd's health management program both the cows and calves are drenched and given a 7 in 1 vaccine before going onto stubbles.
After growing the calves out on stubbles and then the new season's green feed the Marshes turn their steers off at 18 months old in October through the Boyanup trade sale.
"Our aim is to sell them around the 450kg-480kg mark and we never have any problems getting to these weights, which shows just what good doers the Murray Grey cattle are," Andrew said.
In terms of the heifer portion of the drop – because the Marshes are running a self-replacing herd – they select out replacements annually and the rest are then sold through the saleyards.
"We don't ever have a figure in mind in terms of what we want to keep, we just keep the best," Andrew said.
"One year it could be 10 head the next year it could be 20. It just depends on the quality and I think this is the best way to go.
"If we are breeding from good stock I know their progeny will always sell well irrespective of where the market is."
And this is the same philosophy Andrew uses when buying bulls.
"We are always chasing good genetics so I prefer to buy a top bull every couple of years in preference to a mediocre bull every year," Andrew said.
Due to the result they have achieved over the years with Southend bulls, Andrew and Susan are not looking elsewhere to buy their bulls and at the 2011 Southend sale they paid $5000 for a sire, which was the equal second top price of the sale.
Andrew said bulls had to be visually correct to start with before he even started to look at EBVs.
"If the bull is not structurally correct it will throw faults in its progeny and won't last the distance," Andrew said.
"In terms of EBVs we look for low birthweight bulls and high weight gain especially in the 400 and 600-day figures as that is where we are selling the progeny off at."
Breeding from the best has certainly paid off for the Marshes in recent years.
They have received good prices for their steers and heifers despite the market on some occasions not being strong.
"We have always done well with our prices even when the market has been down and that has a lot to do with quality," Andrew said.
"Good stock always sell well, so it is important to us to keep our genetics up to ensure we are producing the best we can to get the best returns we can in the future."
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