Even when built from a lifetime of personal experience on the most productive and profitable type of Angus beef cattle to breed, a very strong belief really matters for little without actual commercial success.
That is not a problem for Stephen and Noeleen Branson’s Banquet Angus for their clients across a wide range of environs in this country keep achieving top end prices.
The Banquet Angus herd prides itself on the unique Banquet type: more powerful through a combination of bigger frames; stronger bone; heavier muscling and faster growth. These tie in exactly with their summarised slogan of “Big Bold Banquet Bulls”.
Why this type? Banquet principal Stephen Branson explains, “Quite simply we have found cattle of this type grow quicker for longer, allowing clients to meet a wider range of market specifications in the shortest time. Marketing your young cattle at heavier weights at the same age; or reaching the same weight at an earlier age is money in the bank.
“Our Banquet cattle have the extra bone to carry the extra muscling, allowing producers to reach more markets within their feed availability period,” he said.
Temperament is hugely important to the Bransons and rigid selection for docility has resulted in an extremely quiet and easy to handle herd. This has huge advantages for not only handling cattle, but it also produces progeny that settle down so much quicker from stresses such as transport, weaning, animal health and management treatments. Most importantly, docile cattle eat better with less dark cutters, giving consumers a better eating experience, a point that should be the objective of all beef industry participants.
For proof of the success of the unique and powerful Banquet type, look no further than client successes at regional weaner sales.
In the 2011 summer/autumn sales, clients received top weaner prices at sales around Victoria.
Keith Diprose, Chartwell Farms, Romsey received top price for his Banquet blood Angus steers at Rodwells weaner sale at Yea in January.
David Hurley sold steers to $950 at Omeo and received $1120 for heifers, both sale topping lines.
Danny Kuch, Woodside sold 11 month old steers at $964 average at Sale.
In January 2012 Doug Robertson, ‘Nangana’ sold a pen of 53 steers at $856/head, these weighing 404kg average, while his total offering of 171 averaged $796 at the Hamilton sale.
Stephen Robertson’s young steers weighed an average 406kg and made $876 in the same sale.
Another Banquet client, Brian Murphy, Casterton sold 87 young steers with an average 361kg liveweight, these making 221 cents/kg or $798/head at the Casterton weaner sale. His second pen of 45 made $758.
At the January 2013 Hamilton weaner sale, Doug Robertson followed up last year’s success when he sold his top double pen of 42 Angus weaner steers at 176 cents/kg liveweight, weighing in at 402 kgs.
“As bull breeders, we are producing cattle that can make more dollars for our clients and it is always pleasing to see them consistently achieving this,” Stephen Branson said.