Farm Weekly

Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance

Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance
Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance

This is sponsored content from Glenlands.

Ensuring that they have the basics right has been the key to the growing success of owner Jim Gorman's Seamark Pty Ltd's beef operation stretching across approximately 40,400 hectares of strategically located properties in Central Queensland from south of Moura, as far north as Nebo and to the coast.

It is the shared ethos of focussing on the fertility, performance, market suitability and environmental adaptability that has Seamark returning to Glenlands to source bulls year after year.

Ray Jansen, who oversees the day to day management of Seamark, testifies to the importance of ensuring that the bulls they purchase fit in with their performance based herd, with a desire to push forward and increase not only their lines of cattle phenotypically but most importantly at the bottom line.

Ray is responsible for much of the operation's sire selection and lives on 'Cliffdale' with his wife Kay. The Jansen's are quick to share impressive stats on the increase the Seamark operation has seen in fertility, "doability" and their demand in the market for the their cattle with the Glenlands genetics.

Fertility Driven

Whilst it is common for challenges to appear when first calf heifers are looking at getting back in calf. The Seamark herd has rebreeding of first calf heifers recorded annually in the 90 per cent with whole of herd averages sitting around the 94 per cent with peaks of up to 97 per cent.

With statistics like these and 2000 heifers joined annually along with 8-9000 breeders, Seamark's program is now working well with 90 per cent of our bulls now being Glenlands Droughtmasters.

Environmental Adaptability

With the challenges of recent years Seamark continue to turn off their steers into the trade market at 420-480kg at 18-20 months to feedlots and have not had to alter this program even though the districts their properties are located in have had far less than average rainfalls. As Ray has said; "they really live up to their name, the Droughtmaster and we find we don't really have to look after them, they hold up pretty well and their progeny breed on and do the same."

Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance
Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance

Market Demand

Seamark cattle have been in demand by feedlots in the south with Wieambilla Feedlot providing feedback with statistics of 2.75kg average daily gain on a 100 day feeding program over a line of 520 head. Ray said that the Lloyd family had told them that the Seamark line were some of the best vendor bred cattle they had ever had.

Demand has also come from JBS & Stanbroke where year in year out Seamark have been able to source premiums above the market for their consignments. Since 2013 Seamark has risen from number 26 in the Stanbroke preferred vendor cattle list to number 6 with the implementation of Glenlands' genetics.

Not only providing a premium to Seamark but also Ray said, "that when the market is a little flat, there is still a high demand to Seamark cattle."

With bull sale season looming, Ray said he would again be representing the Seamark operation at the Childs' family's Glenlands sale where he said it is like looking at "peas in a pod" the quality line up of bulls that are offered.

The facilities are top notch with the ability to look at the bulls easily from both on ground or above and the bulls provide very good value for money for the difference they make in a herd.

Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance
Seamark succeeds through genetic alliance

Ray said they started buying bulls around $4000 and are now looking up more around the $7000 mark. He said: "it is clear that the better bulls are breeding on and the quality is reflecting in their progeny."

Seamark started with around 50 per cent Droughtmaster bulls and now we are up to 90 per cent purely because of the results they keep getting with the Glenlands genetics.

Glenlands Genetics Sale 2019 will take place on September 27, 2019 on property at 'Glenlands' Bouldercombe Queensland.

This is sponsored content from Glenlands.