{"id":124839,"date":"2025-08-06T23:29:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T23:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124839\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T23:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T23:29:13","slug":"ben-nevis-boosts-breeding-program-with-elite-angus-genetics-north-queensland-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124839\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Nevis boosts breeding program with elite Angus genetics | North Queensland Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BenBen Nevis Angus stud principals Erica and Stu Halliday, who have invested heavily in their breeding program to identify high performing bulls and females. Picture supplied<\/p>\n

This is branded content for Ben Nevis Angus<\/b><\/p>\n

Ben Nevis has been a breed and industry leader for decades, but the stud has taken its breeding program to a new level in recent years.<\/p>\n

The Walcha, NSW-based stud has always been focused on combining phenotype with objective data, and now its whole-herd performance analysis is helping stud principals Stu and Erica Halliday identify the best performers.<\/p>\n

“We’ve always believed that we can maintain the type of female that thrives, but with carcase under the hide,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

“Our carcase focus includes a mandate to breed for the Japanese B3 market, branded beef, and grass-fed MSA programs, so finishing early off grass is important, along with their ability to marble above marble score 3 to feed into all the high-value markets.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got really robust cattle that thrive on pasture, then in the marketplace, they’re kicking goals in restaurants and branded beef products.”<\/p>\n

The Hallidays now run about 1200 head.<\/p>\n

Rebuilding the herd after the 2019 drought gave the Hallidays a fresh platform for their genetic program, which has seen huge improvements in recent years.<\/p>\n

“We had 1100 breeders, and got right back down to 500,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

“We took advantage of government loans to start a massive embryo transfer program, so every year we’ve got 150-200 elite embryos.<\/p>\n

“Through the drought, we culled the cow herd viciously, ending up with only high-performing cows, and we’ve developed a scoring system for the females and every calf.<\/p>\n

“By identifying the highest performing cows and flushing them, we’re producing the cattle that we know work for our clients.”<\/p>\n

The Ben Nevis<\/a> team has now moved to IVF over embryo transfer, with a recipient herd with the Bulloch family at Braidwood.<\/p>\n

The next step is to use sexed semen to increase the number of bull calves.<\/p>\n

Investing in genetics over the past five years has led to a highly consistent herd.<\/p>\n

“We now have a massive mob of cows that are all straight, strong-backed and thick, with a soft, silky, slick coat,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

“To increase consistency in the type of cattle we want, we decided we would start using our best bulls.”<\/p>\n

\"InvestingInvesting in genetics over the past five years has led to a highly consistent herd at Ben Nevis. Picture supplied<\/p>\n

Among those was Ben Nevis Rambo, who sired $230,000 bull Banquet Tom Cruise T220.<\/p>\n

“We bought back a share in him a couple of years ago and we’ve used him a lot,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

“He’s an outcross sire, with a rare combination of heavy muscle and very high intramuscular fat.”<\/p>\n

The stud purchased Dunoon Sunstone S378, whose first crop of sons is available in the Ben Nevis sale on September 10, which will feature 100 bulls – 60 18-month-olds and 40 aged from 12-14 months.<\/p>\n

“He’s deep-sided, easy-doing, and a bigger-framed bull with excellent feet, temperament and top 3pc for intramuscular fat.”<\/p>\n

Also on offer in the 2025 sale are some of the first Hart Network sons.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe studs September 10 sale will feature 100 bulls including sons of Ben Nevis Rambo, Dunoon Sunstone S378 and Hart Network. Picture supplied<\/p>\n

“He’s another outcross bloodline for us, with a slick coat, easy doing off grass, and natural thickness,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

“His dam is Hart Whitney 9518, and we’ve seen a number of her bulls and females in the states.<\/p>\n

“In recent years, we’ve been looking closely at very strong cow lines.<\/p>\n

“Baldridge Isobel Y69 is another one that we had followed for years.<\/p>\n

“We bought embryos from a daughter of hers by Hoover Dam, and some of those embryo calves are in the sale as well.”<\/p>\n

Ben Nevis is sourcing the best embryos it can, but the Hallidays have also had success exporting them.<\/p>\n

They’ve recently sold embryos to New Zealand and the US following the World Angus Forum in May.<\/p>\n

“We have embryos at Down T Ranch in Montana, US, now, from one of the Jean cows on display at the AngusEXPO at Tamworth, by Knowla So Right,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

The AngusEXPO was a successful event for the stud. Ben Nevis had the grand champion pen of bulls and the senior champion pen of heifers with sons and daughters of Sunstone and Rambo.<\/p>\n

Ben Nevis also had the top price in the Angus on Ice sale, selling an embryo package to Macka’s Beef for $6000 per embryo, setting an Australian Angus record.<\/p>\n

\"RogerRoger Evans, Tamworth; PJ Budler, Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Professor Dan Shike, University of Illinois, USA; Lorenzo Sangalle, Ben Nevis; and Erica, Maggie, Jack and Stu Halliday, pictured with the champion pen of three bulls at the AngusEXPO at Tamworth in May.<\/p>\n

“Our win in Tamworth and the success of our embryos being used here and overseas, tell us that we’re on the right path with our breeding program,” Mrs Halliday said.<\/p>\n

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