High quality genetics help the Avendano family produce consistent heavy steers

George and Maree Avendano established the operation about 32 years ago, and are now working alongside their sons Matt, who owns a neighbouring property, and Richard, who also works as an independent agronomist in the Boggabri area.

The family currently runs about 800 breeders, but is aiming to rebuild the herd to pre-drought levels of 1200, which the Avendanos expect to reach by the end of 2022.

While the beef business is their main priority, the family also grows tropical pastures including Premier Digit, Consol lovegrass and Bambatsi Panic as well as legumes such as Serradella, Hykon Rose Clover, Arrowleaf clover and Biserrulla.

The Avendano's sell seed to producers from Queensland to southern NSW, including the cold country areas of Bathurst, Orange and Nundle, where tropical grasses are continuing to prove themselves.

"The reason people like subtropicals is because they're so palatable in dry times, extremely water efficient compared to the native species, very hardy and persistent; and in the right season they'll grow for 10 months of the year," Matt Avendano said.

"Moisture is the limiting factor in our enterprise because it's the one thing that we can't control. The tropicals work so well because even in lower summer rainfall areas they utilise any moisture available and can grow a very large quantity of high quality feed very quickly."

"They're perennial, so the oldest paddocks were sown over 30 years ago, and they're better than ever.

"If you keep putting more carbon and organic matter into the soil it gets better each year. Our degraded native pastures will be around 0.5 per cent organic carbon in the top 10 centimetres, while our improved pastures are around 5pc after five to 10 years."

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George established the seed business within his first couple of years farming, more than three decades ago.

"He wanted to plant premier digit but he couldn't get enough seed, only a tiny amount, so he started to grow and harvest his own seed and then began to sell it when other producers wanted to try Digit as well," Matt said.

"Everything is geared towards the cattle, but we can also harvest the seed and Dad has grown a good business out of it."

"Everyone has to make the most out of the productive times. The past few years have been so dry, with our cow numbers lower than normal we currently have more feed than we know what to do with, which is a great problem to have"

The tropical grasses also play an important role in fixing land degradation issues such as low soil fertility, compaction, extreme soil acidity, scalding and erosion caused by poor or outdated practises like over cultivation and over grazing.

"Some of the improvements are almost unbelievable, from paddocks where nothing grew, no matter the season and ran water like a tin roof to very productive paddocks that are only getting better as the aggressive, deep rooted tropical's continue to rehabilitate the soil."

The Avendanos can target a range of markets with their cattle, turning steers off at feeder weights, as well as finishing to meet the over the hook grids at Tamworth, and the grassfed FA market through JBS at Scone.

"In the past we've sold them as feeders, but we're flexible with the market based on the price, and we have a great stock agent in Scott Cooper who finds the market for us," Mr Avendano said.

"If we send them to Woolworths at Tamworth we get them to about 580kg live weight, and maximum 310kg carcass weight, and with Scone there's no real limit on the size.

It's taken years to develop the breeding program to where it is today, with the family using a few different breeds at the start, but settling on Angus about 28 years ago, after buying their first bulls from Booragul Angus, when the stud's principal, Tim Vincent, had a block at Boggabri

"We like dealing with Tim, you couldn't get a more honest, easy to deal with person and with his cattle he's mainly focused on Australian genetics and genetics that are proven in Australian conditions, with performance testing done here, in Australia. We work closely with Tim to identify the genetics which we will target in his sale, ensuring that they compliment and improve our existing herd while also avoiding any potential genetic problems"

Consistency is a big focus for the Avendanos, whose main priorities when selecting sires are fertility and calving ease, along with growth and a balance of carcass traits, including retail beef yield, IMF and rib and rump fat.

"The first thing we look at is fertility - getting calves on the ground - and as a result our preg testing is in the mid to high 90s (per cent) and calving ease is important because when you've got 1200 cows it can be hard to check them constantly and we're normally joining 150 to 200 of our own heifers," Mr Avendano said.

"Our goal is a really fertile mob with a lot of calves on the ground, that then grow out and hang up well.

"We're paid cents per kilo but we need the carcass to perform with good yield and intramuscular fat, amongst other things."

"Tim doesn't go for extremes when selecting his genetics and that serves us well" "In time I think we'll be paid more on quality over quantity, and while it still is cents per kilo at the moment, that might only be one factor of what we're paid for in the future."

"We've never had trouble meeting market specifications. During the drought, of the 800 heifers and steers that went to the abattoirs, we only had one dark cutter.

"We've been getting MSA scores around 63, 64 - they're pretty consistent."

Stocking conservatively and making sure there's plenty of feed ahead of them allows the Avendanos to be flexible with trading opportunities.

"We could run more than 1200 cows, but we'll just trade more cattle in the future so it's easier to downsize when it gets dry.

"We always have a dry lick available year round, and this summer they barely touched it because we had so much high quality feed, but now they're starting to use it, after a few good frosts and while the winter legumes are still coming through.

"What we aim for is an even nutritional plane, keeping cattle in good nick year round, to minimise health issues and maximise fertility."

The same philosophy is used when it comes to weaning, with the aim to reduce stress and use the fortnight-long yard weaning to educate the calves.

"They'll be fed good quality hay as well as cotton seed, a bit of grain or a grain free pellet depending on the season and our goal for their eventual market, and because they're used to having access to dry lick while they're with mum, there's minimal or no setbacks or hesitancy with the feeders," Mr Avendano said.

"It's very important that we handle them, working them through the race and yards a number of times each day.

"A good weaning program is important to limit stress and make sure you can handle them efficiently right up to the day you sell them.

"In the drought we early weaned at 100kg and grew them out in terrible conditions, very hot and very dusty, but we did everything we could to reduce stress, which gave us good results with animal welfare, weight gain and carcass quality.

"Stress can have a massive effect on beef enterprises from the loss in weight gain on farm and dark cutting, as well as the safety and pleasure of working with quiet cattle."

After weaning, calves are normally moved onto a sub-tropical and winter legume pasture or forage crop such as oats. The family grow oats in country that's being developed for improved pastures.

The good mix of improved pastures has allowed the Avendano's to make the most of the lighter, acidic soils, while turning off cattle quickly.

Mr Avendano's goal is to have steers reach 400kg on pasture by 12 months of age.

"We're also zero or minimum till on all the properties, which makes a big difference to our soil structure and health."