BULLS ON THE BORDER
On the border of Queensland and the Northern Territory sits Tobermorey Station. Owned by the Speed family, the station spans 1.8 million acres of gidyea timbered red soil country, lapping at the edge of Australia’s Central Desert.
Tim and Trina were invited to join the Speed family for their annual Tobermorey muster, taking the chance to inspect the Broad Leaf Santa Gertrudis bulls that have been making a mark on the Speed’s extensive cattle operation.
Ben Speed, the eldest son of the family, spends much of his time in the sky as a helicopter pilot and knows all too well how the bulls perform in the paddock.
“We’re targeting the feeder market, so we’ve transitioned from Brahmans into Santa Gertrudis, and Broad Leaf bulls have helped us achieve that.
“We bought the bulls initially because Tim had the numbers for us and they were good local bulls.
“Over the years they’ve been consistent. We’ve seen them work, they’ve got great temperament and they handle the climate well.” Says Ben.
John Speed, also known as Goodgie, is the youngest son of the family and has the task of purchasing the bulls for the operation.
“We look for bulls with good carcass and structure to go to work and deliver quality calves.
“They need to have thickness and a good topline and we don’t like them over fat.
"Broad Leaf bulls always give us a consistent line of calves and it makes the job very easy for us to sell them at the other end.” Says John
Tim says the Speed’s operation aligns well with his bull breeding philosophy.
“We’re aiming to produce bulls with exceptional carcass and structure whose progeny perform from backgrounder to feeder markets, right through to bullocks. We also want them to be adaptable and able to handle a variety of environments.
“It’s encouraging to see the condition of our bulls in the Northern Territory, where cattle have to cover vast distances to source food, water and do their job. Our bulls are holding their own against other studs, and they’re producing good solid calves.
“It’s an indication that we’re on the right track.” Says Tim.