WITH the entire beef industry’s goals towards Carbon Neutrality by 2030 and moderating methane emissions, efficiency of production systems becomes increasingly important.

As a result, an efficient animal that takes less days on feed to reach a designated weight and fatness, and produces a heavy carcase weight must obviously produce less methane, Raff Angus principal Andrew Raff says.

Celebrating its fifty-ninth year of dedicated Angus seedstock breeding for the Australian beef industry, Raff Angus will hold its annual bull sale at Drillham, Queensland on Friday 16 August.

“Understanding the importance of balancing all things ‘measured’ with ‘on ground breed character and raw performance’, we continue to name this year’s sale the ‘Boots on the Ground Annual Spring Bull Sale’,” Andrew said.

“We strongly encourage and welcome everyone to personally inspect our 2024 draft of bulls to give opportunity to not only eyeball our offering, but to allow for a little more insight into our pedigree, performance, and general breeding direction that our herd has evolved to become,” he said.

Since establishment in 1965, Raff Angus has had a clear breeding direction – that is, to maintain all the wonderful natural qualities of an Angus animal including calving ease, exceptional maternal and carcase qualities, along with their ability to forage and survive in a wide range of environments.

“However, our genetics must also excel for weight-for-age, carcase weight and yield. Feed conversion is also important. We aim 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.

2024 RNA Paddock to Palate competition

Underlining the breeding and selection emphasis within the Raff seedstock herd, were results achieved from this year’s RNA Paddock to Palate Competition.

1977 was the last time the Raffs entered a pen of steers into a cattle competition. In that case, they were oats crop prepared and entered in the Brisbane Royal Show Prime Cattle Competition where they received first place.

We have always respected those who present their genetics – particularly seedstock producers – into public competitions where the ‘good or bad’ results are available for the public to openly scrutinise,” Andrew said.

RNA Paddock to Palate competition steers

This year Raff Angus entered a pen of steers into Australia’s most commercially-relevant beef supply chain competition – the RNA Paddock to Palate competition incorporating feedlot weightgain, carcase quality and MSA eating quality. In early March, when just 13 months of age, seven autumn 2023-born steers were selected from a group and headed north to Queensland’s JBS Beef City feedlot. They started their 100-day feed term with an entry liveweight averaging 420kg.

A mid-term field day was held in June including the RNA Paddock to Palate Weight Gain Awards Presentation where the Raff steers produced outstanding competition results:

100-day HGP-Free Export class:

• Champion Individual weightgain steer – 2.79kg/day. With 196 exhibits representing all major breeds, this Champion Raff Angus Steer weighed 723kg at just 16.5 months.
• 2nd place, Pen of six weightgain – 2.47kg/day. This pen had a group average live weight of 662kg at just 16.5 months and competed against 28 pen groups within their class.

Grassfed MSA steers weigh heavy – commercially relevant…

In late January the Raff family sent 110 steers off King Island across to Greenham at Smithton, Tasmania for processing. These were the complete draft, bottom 50pc of male calves born, of both spring (Sept/October 2021) and autumn (Feb/March 2022) born steers. 100 percent pasture raised and on-farm fattened, these animals had not received any grain, silage, or hay supplements since weaning.

The steers yielded a 40kg heavier carcase when compared nationally to all steers processed and graded through MSA on that day.

With the grid price of $5.40/kg it equated to a $216/head income advantage. For this consignment, it added an extra $23,760 in value.

Over the past four years the Raffs have sold 670 prime yearling milk tooth grass finished steers and heifers. Compared nationally within the Meat & Livestock myMSA dashboard benchmark, they have netted $365/head more value, to gross an extra $244,960 over the past four years.

100 bulls sell at Raff Angus 2024 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 autumn and spring-born calves, plus several used stud sires (used on both cows and heifers) that will lead the sale.

One of these used sires, Raff Thumper T285, contains within his pedigree Hoff import genetic sires Raff Distinction, Raff Ego, Raff Explosive and our most acclaimed show and unique breeding sire Raff Empire E269 – Raff Thumper T285 will impress all…

The used sires will be followed in the catalogue by 45 spring-born 22-month-old bulls. Within this group are the first sons of Raff’s new high performance AI sire EG Eyes Onyou. His sons are exceptional, showing docility, great skin types, extra carcase quality and extreme muscle within a compact yet heavy body mass and strong bone type.

One such son, Raff Tycoon T356, at 400 days weighed 628kg to be gaining 1.42kg/day (grass only). He had a frame score of 7 with a scrotal measurement of 43cm. Not only was he a top performer for these traits but he also excelled for carcase scanning with even fats 6/6mm, a massive EMA of 104sq cm and a very high IMF% scan of 6.9% – all at 400 days of age.

He is a twin, with 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 Hoff import and the 2012 Brisbane Royal Show Interbreed Champion cow Raff Blackbird D349). Tycoon’s maternal grandam is sired by another Hoff import sire Raff Dakota D85 (a three-quarter brother to Hoff Limited Edition SC594). One more generation back and a full sister to one of the most popular and successful Australian bred AI sires of his time, Raff Midland Z204 emerges. Just magnificent…

Within the 50 autumn-born 18 month old bulls there is a diverse genetic mix including the first sons of another high performance AI sire, Ellingson Three Rivers.

He is a powerful bull with extra length and back end shape that maintains frame size. One IVF son, from Hoff Blackbird E267/O’Neill’s Expedition import cow, recorded a 114sq cm EMA at just 16 months. A full brother to him has been retained.

All the sale bulls will be:

• Morphology Tested – Breeding Soundness Examined by Ced Wise AB Services.
• Fully Performance Recorded – Calving ease scored. Weighed 200, 400 & 600 days. Measured for scrotal size & frame score. Ultrasound scanned for carcase – EMA, IMF% & Rib/Rump fat. TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluated – TACE.
• Genomic Tested – HD50K – 21 traits.
• Vaccinated – Tick Fever, 3 Day Sickness, Vibrio, Pestiguard, Ultravac 7in1, Bovilus MH+IBR.
• Parent Verified – complete herd.
• Pesti Virus – tested free & double vaccinated.

Raw Data including weights, whole-of-life ADG, docility score, frame and scrotal size and ultrasound scanning data will be detailed within sale catalogue.

Updated weights available on sale day.

Individual lot videos and photos will be available on the Raff Angus website from 1 August.

While the Raff Angus seedstock herd has its origins in Queensland, the breeding operations moved to King Island a decade ago.

“Whilst we have moved south, Raff Angus gives absolute assurance to our northern clients that we are totally committed to holding an annual auction sale for our bulls in Queensland,” Andrew Raff said.

Raff Angus 2024 Annual Bull Sale – 1pm Friday 16 August

Location: 641 Moores-Bice Road, Drillham Queensland.

Selling Agents: GDL – Mark Duthie 0448 016 950

Sale will be interfaced with AuctionsPlus.

www.raffangus.com.au  #raffangus

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