Muttaburra Brahman breeder gets to realise his dream of selling at Rocky

Buying his first stud heifers as a 21-year-old, Jesse Atkinson always aspired to one day sell at the Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale (RBWS).

And 21 years later it is becoming a reality.

Establishing his stud, Gunnawarra J Brahmans, on his property Crewkerne, north of Muttaburra, Mr Atkinson now runs 70 registered Brahman females as well as a 1000-head commercial Brahman/Brangus-cross herd.

As a first-time vendor at the RBWS, he has three grey polled scurred sons of Doonside Knight (P) in this year's catalogue.

"It was always my goal to sell at Rocky," Mr Atkinson said.

"The calves that I'm selling this year are by a bull I bought back in 2022 at the sale for $50,000, and are all out of homebred cows."

Selling at both the Gold City and Big Country Brahman bull sales in the past, Mr Atkinson is looking forward to his debut at Rockhampton.

"I've done fairly well in the past at those sales, and things are looking pretty positive this year, as cattle prices are strong," he said.

"I really wanted to get into the Central Queensland market."

The Gunnawarra J bulls are 23-24 months old, and will be offered on day one of the RBWS.

In the catalogue, Mr Atkinson describes his first lot, Gunnawarra J Sir Galahad as a 'soft heavy muscled young sire prospect. A powerhouse of a bull from the ground up, with a clean sheath and very correct feet and legs'.

"I have been transitioning to a polled herd and this is the first lot of fully polled calves I've bred," he said.

With his commercial herd, Mr Atkinson targets the heavy feeder market, aiming to produce 450 kilogram Brahman/Brangus-cross steers, which are all pasture fed.

Supplying cattle to the Muttaburra Campdraft for the past few years, Mr Atkinson was getting steers ready to truck when the Queensland Country Life spoke to him last week.

"I'm sending 320 Brahman/Brangus-cross steers in for the draft," he said.