WELCOME TO WALLOON
Flood fencing was at the top of Ray Brown’s agenda after heavy rain fell across the Banana region over summer, taking out the Banana Creek bridge and keeping Ray’s fencing strainers in check.
With the rainfall has come a marvellous season for the Brown family, painting the rolling hills of Walloon a vivid green and bringing shine to the coats of his Santa Gertrudis breeders.
As a long standing supporter of Broad Leaf Santa Gertrudis bulls, and with the country looking a picture, we took a trip to visit the Brown family and see just how the progeny of our bulls were performing.
“Walloon is a smaller part of the holdings that we have.” Explains Ray, over a cup of tea in the original
Walloon
homestead.
Tim Patterson, Broad Leaf Santa Gertrudis (L) with Ray Brown of Walloon (R)
“Castle Creek was bought in the early 1980’s and we’ve been there ever since, and then Glenlee which was our original property from 1966.”
Starting off with home grown bulls and a line of Brangus cattle, Ray says it was a neighbour who inspired his venture into Santas.
“Bulls weren't really on the agenda back then. In the early days that was pretty much how it was. A lot of our bulls were what we call ‘black and gold’, just home grown bulls.
“Probably watching what one of the neighbours had done, and just observing the weight for age that he was doing with his bullocks through the meatworks.
“He was turning off earlier than we were and at better weights, so we decided we’d go into Santas. It’s been successful.”
Rianna Brown has returned home to join her father Ray, in the family operation
Armed with an ambition for improvement, it’s clear to see the progress Ray has made across his operation and into his herd. It’s this trait he says, that keeps him in the game.
“My agenda is to try and improve what you’ve already got. To get bulls that are better so that you can improve on your breeders. It is showing off now that we’re going in the right direction.
“I can buy bulls off Tim and the quality is there. The price is back a little from what the big fellas are on, but the quality is no different. It’s still the same.”
With a positive season ahead, Ray says he’ll be bracing for the next calves that come through the branding cradle.
“When you look at the branding cradle, say 40, 50 years ago, you were only branding these tiny little calves. Nowadays, you're branding with calves that are like ‘look out, I hope he doesn't break this thing’.
“They’re heavy and they’re solid.”
