Herd Health

The Eurimbla cattle are easy care stock that are not given any growth stimulants and have not been fed any grain since 1997, when weaner stock were fed a modest amount of triticale as part of a drought ration. The exception to this is that the relatively few Eurimbla show cattle have been fed a grain based ration at a rate of less than 1% of their body weight.

All calves are vaccinated twice and all stock are drenched and vaccinated in March – prior to the sale. The herd has protected status (equivalent to MN1) with regard to the Market Assurance Program. Over the years approximately 50 Eurimbla cattle have been tested for Johne’s disease prior to traveling to Queensland and Western Australia, being exported or being shown and none have tested positive.

All Eurimbla cattle are guaranteed to breed. If any animal is incapable of breeding naturally within 12 months of being purchased, provided it is not caused by injury or illness that occurred after the sale, a suitable replacement or the purchase price, less the salvage value will be refunded. Any claim against fertility must be lodged within 12 months of the sale and be accompanied by a veterinary certificate.

Performance Testing

Eurimbla cattle are performance tested from their day of birth when they are weighed, until they are sold. The appraisal takes many forms including the recording of absolute weights, calving intervals, eye appraisal and relative measures recorded with Breedplan.

In the selection of animals more emphasis is placed on their performance and conformation than on their pedigree, although it is recognised that a large part of the stud’s success is based on the performance of outstanding cow families.

Eurimbla cattle have proven performance in stud and commercial herds, feedlots, carcass competitions and show rings. Stud cattle and or semen have been sold to all states in Australia, except Tasmania, and they have also been sold to New Zealand and England. Commercial cattle have been sold to a number of herds in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

Steer progeny are sold to feedlots and are performance tested in those feedlots. In 2005 the complete line of about 50 steers was purchased by Australian Meat Holdings at a premium price to be fed for the Japanese market. In carcass competitions notable successes have been winning champion heavyweight carcass at Sydney Royal, winning grand champion steer (based on weight gain and carcass) from more than 50
pure-bred and cross-bred steers at Albury, and having the highest average carcass score of all breeds and winning a middle weight carcass class at Sydney Royal in 2004.

In show rings Eurimbla stock have won more than 50 championships at royal shows around Australia and overseas since 2000, thanks largely to exhibitors who have purchased stock from Eurimbla and shown them. At Sydney Royal the stud has shown three cow and calf combinations to receive the Ken Cowlishaw trophy for supreme exhibit, and two Eurimbla bred or Eurimbla sired bulls have similarly won the trophy.

Since 1994 Eurimbla has been a member of Breedplan and thus over 1,000 progeny are now performance recorded with Red Poll Group Breedplan. Breedplan Expected Breeding Values (EBVs) are provided for all of the stock listed in this catalogue, except for one heifer bred from a recent acquisition. They compare the expected performance of specific animals with the expected performance of all Red Poll cattle in Red Poll Group Breedplan herds. The breed average figures that are used for comparative purposes are based on the performance data of all 2003 drop calves and therefore the EBV figures for animals born prior to 2003 understate the merit of those animals if there was an improvement in the average breed performance up to 2003.