Chris and Janine McCarthy, Stockman Red Brahmans, East Haldon, have worked on the breeding philosophy that build a superior female herd first and the bulls will come.

They leave no stone unturned in working to achieve this goal, focusing on females with fertility, structural soundness and sound udders.

It’s an approach that has certainly paid dividends more than once, with a record-breaking sale at the 2022 Rocky All Stars Sale, a reward for years of diligence and hard work.

Although no strangers to topping sales, such is the quality of their animals, this one was particularly rewarding given it was achieved in an incredibly hot cattle market.

Stockman Indianna 489 (PP) set a new sale record when she went under the hammer for $42,000.

“It was great reward for the hard work,” Chris said.

“We sold what I thought was one of the best animals we have ever bred so we thought it would be a good sale.”

What was particularly pleasing about the sale was the fact that Indiana was purchased in a syndicate which included repeat clients Gavin and Dillon Scott, Rosetta Grazing.

“Gavin and Dillon have bought our cattle before and they always buy top cattle,” Chris said.

“They have gone on to use the heifer extensively in an IVF program, with the other syndicate member, the Brownson family, Burdekin Brahmans, Charters Towers. We have topped the sale before but certainly nowhere near that money. It gave the stud a lift.”

Stockman Red Brahmans was established in 2000 at Wyaralong near Boonah, using genetics from the Valuce, Roseborough, Palmvale and Halgenaes studs.

Following the resumption of the property for Wyaralong Dam in 2010, the family relocated the stud to East Haldon in the Lockyer Valley.

The stud was established using AI and embryo transfer programs in a bid to rapidly increase the herd size. The best genetics from Australia and USA were sourced.

Chris is a big fan of the Brahman for its suitability to the forest country at East Haldon.

“They have great heat tolerance and in drought continue to perform well,” Chris said.

 “Brahman cattle will walk to forage where other breeds sit down near a creek and graze. This is especially important in our hilly country. Fertility is a strong attribute and they will calve every year in our country.”

The stud has 90 Red Brahman stud breeders and 75 recipient cows used in IVF programs.

The stud runs on more than 1000 hectares of freehold and lease country in the Lockyer Valley.

The breeders are run on forest country, while the bulls are grown out on irrigated improved pasture with light supplementation.

Recently sale bulls have been prepared for stud sales at the Muan Feedlot, Biggenden.

Replacement heifers are grown out on leased scrub country.

The stud has been selling annually at Rockhampton Brahman Week since 2007.

Chris also sends bulls to the Big Country Sale in Charters Towers, where he presented three bulls at last month’s sale including Stockman Luca 462 (AI)(PS) which sold for $62,000 to Stewart Nobbs and family Yoman Brahmans, Moura.

Younger bulls are sold privately into North Queensland through fellow Brahman breeder Peter Tuxworth, Halgenaes Stud, Forest Beach.

Stud females are sold through two sales, Rocky All Stars and The Great Eastern Brahman Female Sale, also held during Brahman Week.

The stud conducts an AI program each year in November before introducing bulls for four months. IVF is used to collect embryos from the stud’s elite donors to the best sires available.

“Our clients are looking for bulls that are structurally sound on feet and legs, clean sheaths, quiet temperaments and preferably polled with good growth for age,” Chris said.

In 2017, Stockman Red Brahmans was one of three stud breeders given the opportunity to purchase the breeding rights in four of the best Red Brahman cows from NCC Brahmans. It was a milestone opportunity for the stud.

“These cows and their daughters from the Dienka and Red Opal families now form the nucleus of our IVF donors,” Chris said.

“We had done a lot of ET work early on when the stud was being established but we found we were not gaining an advantage. This prompted us to go back to natural breeding and AI until the offer from NCC gave us a window to elite genetics.”

Chris said the stud focussed on breeding females to build a line of elite genetics.

“We still have our original cows but, over time, the elite genetics will totally transform our herd,” he said.

The stud cows are now predominantly polled.

“As the demand for polled genetics has continued to increase the stud is now producing virtually all polled,” Chris said.

“A significant investment was made in 2020 when we were given the opportunity by Lynn Walther, Roseborough Stud, to purchase the 22 poll cows from the ‘pick of his herd’. These red cows have more than 50 years of breeding elite red genetics.”

Brahman Week 2023 will hold special meaning for Chris and Janine. It will be the first time their children, Harrison, 12, and Genevieve, 9, will sell alongside them.

Harrison and Genevieve will sell a bull under the Stockman HG prefix.

“We are really proud,” Chris said.

“It will be special to see them share in our passion – and it helps us continue to work hard knowing that the next generation shares our interest and passion to grow the stud into the future.”

By Lea Coghlan, photo by Sheree Kershaw, Queensland Country Life