Excitement builds as 2023 top selling bulls' progeny hit the ground

The offspring from Queensland's top-selling bulls of 2023 have begun to drop, sparking excitement among their buyers.

While some top buyers weren't yet ready to announce the arrival of offspring, Queensland Country Life was able to speak with those who were happy to share the news.

The first reports were promising, with calves already living up to their expectations.

Stacey and Dale Jones of Ivery Downs Speckle Park, Colinton, recently welcomed the arrival of progeny from their record-breaking purchase, Born Ready Shady.

Purchased for an Australian Speckle Park record $150,000 at the 2023 East Coast Select Sale in NSW, the Joneses were drawn to Shady's combination of phenotype and carcase quality, particularly his potential to complement their existing genetics.

"We'd been looking for a black Speckle Park bull to add to our breeding program," Ms Jones said.

"He fits perfectly alongside our Canadian bull, Greenwood Coal Train."

Semen was collected for both domestic and international use, including markets in the United States and Canada.

Ms Jones said they were yet to breed any of their purebred Speckle Park females to Shady, as he was away being collected when breeding season started.

"We didn't breed any purebred females to Shady last season because he was away being collected," she said.

"But we did AI some of our commercial females to him, and those calves have just started arriving. So far, they're strong, sappy calves that are up and drinking quickly. It's early days, but we're very happy with them."

Shady's influence was already being seen in commercial calves born from Brangus females.

Ivery Downs plans to compare these calves to those from other sires in a trial to assess carcase data and feed efficiency.

"We've got a feed efficiency program coming from Italy in January," Ms Jones said.

"Once the calves are weaned, they'll go into the feedlot, and we'll run them through a feed efficiency trial.

"This will allow us to collect data on their carcase qualities as well as their efficiency conversion rates."

Rob Flute and Sharon West, of Chatfield Brahmans in Charters Towers, made headlines in early 2023, when they purchased Arizona Sir Presley, for $170,000 at the Big Country Brahman Sale.

Almost two years on, Mr Flute said his progeny was coming up 12-months-old.

"We've got quite a few calves from him that are good in quality," Mr Flute said.

"We purchased Arizona Sir Presley primarily for in-herd use, with the goal of producing high-quality bulls. He's a big-boned bull, and we're working to produce an even better product.

"He's a top performer, and although I can't say he's better than every other bull out there, he certainly performs very well.

"That's why we were willing to invest the money in him."

Arizona Sir Presley, purchased from Arizona Brahmans, began his breeding career with first-calf heifers, all stud grey Brahman females.

The resulting calves, born around a year ago, are already showing strong potential.

"A lot of his calves are a lot like him," Mr Flute said.

Chatfield Brahmans plans to sell some of Arizona Sir Presley's progeny by the end of next year, with many interested buyers already expressing their desire for these impressive genetics.

"We used to breed bulls at Richmond, and we have a lot of old clients interested in his progeny," he said.

"But at this stage, we're keeping his heifers and focusing on marketing the bulls."