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As the entire beef industry sets a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and moderating methane emissions, the efficiency of production systems is becoming increasingly important.
As a result, an efficient animal that takes fewer days of feed to reach a given weight and fat content and produces a heavy carcass must obviously produce less methane, explains Andrew Raff, director of Raff Angus.
Celebrating its fifty-ninth year of breeding Angus semen for the Australian beef industry, Raff Angus will hold its annual bull sale in Drillham, Queensland on Friday 16 August.
“Recognizing the importance of balancing all things ‘measured’ with ‘breed character on the ground and raw performance’, we continue to call this year’s sale the “Boots on the Ground Annual Spring Bull Sale” Andrew said.
“We strongly encourage and invite everyone to personally inspect our 2024 bull selection to provide an opportunity to not only evaluate our offering, but also to gain a little more insight into our pedigree, performance and the general breeding direction our herd has evolved into,” he said.
Since its inception in 1965, Raff Angus has followed a clear breeding direction: to retain all the wonderful natural qualities of an Angus animal, including calving ease, exceptional maternal and carcass qualities, and its ability to feed and survive in a wide variety of environments.
“However, our genetics must also excel in weight-for-age, carcass weight and yield. Feed conversion is also important. Our goal is to produce cattle that can eat less feed per day relative to their individual weight and rate of weight gain. These key selection preferences continue to make our herd genetically unique,” Andrew said.
RNA Paddock to Palate Competition 2024
The results achieved in this year’s RNA Paddock to Palate competition highlight the importance placed on breeding and selection within the Raff semen herd.
The Raffs last entered a herd of beef cattle into a cattle show in 1977. In that case, they were prepared oats entered into the Brisbane Royal Show’s Premium Cattle Show, where they won first place.
“We have always respected those who present their genetics – especially seed producers – in public competitions where the ‘good or bad’ results are available for the public to openly examine,” Andrew said.
RNA Paddock to Palate Competition Beef
This year, Raff Angus entered a group of steers into Australia’s most commercially relevant beef supply chain competition: the RNA Paddock to Palate competition, which integrates feedlot weight gain, carcass quality and MSA eating quality. In early March, at just 13 months old, seven autumn 2023-born steers were selected from a group and sent north to the JBS Beef City feedlot in Queensland. They began their 100-day feeding period with an average entry liveweight of 420kg.
A mid-course field day was held in June, including the RNA Paddock to Palate Weight Gain Awards, where Raff steers achieved some outstanding competition results:
100 Day HGP Free Export Course:
- Individual Champion Beef Weight Gainer – 2.79kg/day. With 196 shows representing all major breeds, this Raff Angus Champion Beef weighed 723kg at just 16.5 months.
- 2nd place, pen of six animals, weight gain – 2.47 kg/day. This group had an average live weight of 662 kg at only 16.5 months and was competing against 28 pen groups in its category.
MSA Grass-Fed Beef is Heavyweight – a Sales Advantage…
In late January, the Raff family sent 110 King Island steers to Greenham in Smithton, Tasmania for processing. These were all male calves born in spring (September/October 2021) and autumn (February/March 2022). Raised 100% on pasture and finished on the farm, these animals had not been fed any grain, silage or hay supplements since weaning.
The steers produced a carcass 40kg heavier than all steers processed and graded by the MSA that day nationally.
At a grid price of $5.40/kg, this equates to a revenue advantage of $216/head. For this shipment, this added an additional value of $23,760.
Over the past four years, the Raffs have sold 670 prime, milk-tooth and grass-fed steers and heifers. When compared nationally with the myMSA Meat & Livestock Benchmark Dashboard, they have earned a net value of $365/head more, for a gross of $244,960 over the past four years.
100 bulls sold at the 2024 Raff Angus sale
Raff Angus will offer 100 bulls at its 2024 annual bull sale starting at 1pm on Friday 16 August.
The 100 bulls will be divided into three groups, for calves born in autumn and spring, as well as several second-hand breeding stock (used on both cows and heifers) which will lead the sale.
One of these bulls used, Raff Thumper T285, contains in his pedigree Hoff’s imported genetic bulls Raff Distinction, Raff Ego, Raff Explosive and our most acclaimed single show and breeding bull Raff Empire E269 – Raff Thumper T285 will impress everyone…
The bulls used will be followed in the catalogue by 45 22-month-old spring-born bulls. Included in this group are the first sons of Raff’s new high-performance AI bull, EG Eyes Onyou. His sons are exceptional, showing docility, superb skin types, exceptional carcass quality and extreme muscling in a compact but heavy body mass and solid bone type.
One such son, Raff Tycoon T356, weighed 628kg at 400 days and gained 1.42kg/day (grass only). He had a 7 for size and a scrotal measurement of 43cm. Not only was he a top performer for these traits, he also excelled in carcass analysis with uniform fats of 6/6mm, a massive EMA of 104cm² and a very high IMF% scan of 6.9% – all at 400 days.
This is a twin, his retained brother having already been used with semen in the tank. Tycoon’s dam, now a donor, is sired by Raff Dazzler D353 (full brother to the imported Hoff and the 2012 Brisbane Royal Show interbreed champion cow Raff Blackbird D349). Tycoon’s maternal granddam is sired by another imported Hoff stallion, Raff Dakota D85 (a three-quarters brother to the limited edition Hoff SC594). A generation later, a full sister to one of the most popular and successful Australian AI stallions of his era, Raff Midland Z204, emerges. Simply magnificent…
Among the 50 18-month-old bulls born in the fall is a diverse genetic mix, including the first sons of another high-performance AI bull, Ellingson Three Rivers.
He is a powerful bull with extra length and a rear shape that maintains the body size. An IVF son, out of an imported Hoff Blackbird E267/O’Neill’s Expedition cow, recorded an EMA of 114 cm² at just 16 months. A full brother to him was retained.
All bulls for sale will be:
- Morphology tested – The robustness of the reproduction has been examined by Ced Wise AB Services.
- Fully recorded performance – Calving ease assessment. Weighing at 200, 400 and 600 days. Scrotal size and carcass score measurement. Carcass ultrasound – EMA, IMF% and rib/rump fat. TransTasman Angus cattle assessed – TACE.
- Genomically tested – HD50K – 21 lines.
- Vaccinated – Tick fever, 3-day sickness, Vibrio, Pestiguard, Ultravac 7in1, Bovilus MH+IBR.
- Verified by parents – complete herd.
- Plague virus – tested free and doubly vaccinated.
Raw data including weights, lifetime AQG, docility score, frame and scrotal size and ultrasound data will be detailed in the sales catalogue.
Updated weights available on day of sale.
Videos and photos of each batch will be available on the Raff Angus website from August 1st.
Although the Raff Angus breeding herd originated in Queensland, breeding operations moved to King Island ten years ago.
“Although we have moved south, Raff Angus gives absolute assurance to our northern customers that we are fully committed to holding an annual auction for our bulls in Queensland,” Andrew Raff said.
2024 Raff Angus Annual Bull Sale – 1:00pm Friday 16th August
Address: 641 Moores-Bice Road, Drillham Queensland.
Selling Agents: GDL – Mark Duthie 0448 016 950
The sale will be interfaced with AuctionsPlus.
www.raffangus.com.au #refinement
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