Chance Bull Purchase Brings Surprise Results With Yearlings

Injune beef producer Leo Denton purchased his first Limousin bull by coincidence but with the third drop of Limousin-cross calves on the ground he is more than satisfied with the results.

"I hadn’t really been looking for a Limo bull but a bloke offered me a good deal on one so I took it," Leo said, "I’d seen the Limo-cross calves that Ian Duff had bred so I was pretty keen to try them out."

His one Limousin bull is running with 70 bos indicus-cross females. Despite dry conditions and sparse feed the bull had maintained his body weight and excellent fertility with high calving percentages throughout the group of breeders.

Leo has retained last year’s calf crop due to dry conditions and the cows are currently carrying this year’s vealers.

"We’ve had all of last year’s weaners on our blade ploughed country and they look to be doing pretty well."

Last year’s calves are running on 529 acres which Leo blade ploughed and improved.

After blade ploughing this block Leo sowed sorghum, buffel grass, Rhodes grass and butterfly pea.

"The main reason I planted the sorghum was to give the wallabies a distraction so that the buffel grass could get established," Leo said.

"I eventually want to see both blocks covered with buffel grass - when they are I should be able to run and fatten over 200 steers on just over 1100 acres," Leo said.

Currently the breeders, this year’s vealers and the Limousin bull are running on a 629-acre block adjoining the pasture-improved country. They are grazing mainly on natural pastures.

Due to the dry conditions Leo has only been able to sell one calf crop from his Limousin bull but the weights and prices for the Limousin-cross calves were pleasing.

"The weights were a bit better than what we got from our Charbray bull. I’ve had no problem with temperament though and the calves that we have here look good. I’d definitely look at going Limo again when this bull needs replacing."