Well-known stud disperses entire red herd in major business shift

A well-known central Queensland Brahman breeding family has dispersed their entire red herd in a significant business shift.

The Bishop family of Garglen Brahman Company, Bauhinia, made the sale to Doug and Amanda Burnett and their family of Arcuo Ag Pty Ltd, Clermont, on Thursday, February 20, to focus entirely on grey Brahman cattle.

The sale, which included 63 red Brahmans breeders and calves, 38 pregnant-tested-in-calf heifers, 33 maiden heifers, 29 number four bulls, and 260 straws of semen, was driven by succession planning.

Shane Bishop acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but said it was made with a focus on the future.

"Some big decisions in business have to be made with your head and not your heart," Mr Bishop said.

"Consequently, we made the decision to sell the entire Garglen red stud herd.

"It's been a difficult decision for us, as we believe Garglen, ABBA No. 63, is one of the oldest existing registered red Brahman stud herds in Australia.

"But we are simply choosing a different direction with our breeding program and will focus entirely on our grey stud herd and expanding our commercial breeding base."

Mr Bishop said the Burnetts were a long-time supporter of the Garglen genetics and had been purchasing red bulls from them for years.

"This has been a dream deal with this wonderful family," Mr Bishop said.

"We know our beloved red breeders are in very capable hands."

Garglen Brahman Company was founded in 1962 by Percy Bishop and later managed by his son, Shane and his wife Sandra Bishop.

The family has been breeding Brahmans since 1955, with their first registration in 1962.

Mr Bishop said they'd had a good run with red Brahmans over the years.

"The red cattle were very fertile and had good growth. We always thought they had a bit better temperament," he said.

"We've had some standout cattle over the years, including a bull that made $47,500, and just three years ago, one of our red heifers sold for $40,000 at the Great Eastern sale."

While the Bishops are parting with their red herd, Mr Bishop said they were optimistic about the future of their grey Brahman breeding program.

Their children, Joshua, Matt, and Rachel, have all taken up breeding grey cattle.

"Sandra and I will focus on managing the commercial herd, and the kids will continue with the grey cattle," Mr Bishop said.

"It's an exciting new chapter for Garglen and for the broader Brahman community."

Stock and station agent Brad Passfield of Hourn and Bishop, who facilitated the sale along with Jake Passfield of Hoch and Wilkinson, noted the significance of the sale.

"This was a unique opportunity for the Burnett family to acquire a complete red Brahman stud herd," Brad Passfield said.

"There's over 60 years of breeding in these cattle, dating back to Shane's late father, Percy. They've been very carefully bred and managed."