Why Now?
The development of the Durham Tropical™ breeding program has been an ongoing project for over 10 years. It is only now that we believe that the product is proven enough to be offered to our patiently waiting clients.
The Durham Tropical™ bred animal offers outstanding versatility because it combines the best of the two breeds it was derived from. The Shorthorn breed is renowned for its fertility, milk, mothering ability and high quality meat. The Santa is a very highly adaptable animal with good foraging ability and skin type for the Australian environment.
What the Durham Tropical™ breeding program takes from the two originating breeds is the best of both worlds. They are adaptable, profitable, fertile and weigh like lead.
Durham Tropicals™
Durham Tropical™ Cattle - adaptable quality beef.
The Durham Tropical™ breeding program is a rotational Shorthorn x Santa Gertrudis composite that maintains approximately 75% of the hybrid vigour (heterosis) occurring in a first cross animal.. By utilising the Shorthorn and Santa Gertrudis (already 5/8th Shorthorn) we were effectively able to create an animal that is 81.25% Shorthorn. This allowed us to quickly stabilise the progeny type whilst maintaining the hybrid vigor giving a 10-20% increase in weaning weight.
Fertility
Fertility is paramount and only 100% calving rate females retained in the program. This means that since the development of the breed no female has had less than a 100% calving rate.
Eating Quality
Food is our industry and beef is our product. We must not loose sight of this whilst retaining a profitable production system. We focus on the needs of the end consumer.
Polled
OH&S and animal welfare practices are driving breeders towards polled animals. Whilst the breed will produce horned cattle, only polled cattle are used to breed from.
Weight Gain
We are still paid on weight. The biggest contributing factors to weight is length and growth. We pay a lot of attention to animals with length of body.
Slick Skin
Skin type must be slick skinned with looseness of hide with a solid red colour favorable. It is these traits that provide adaptability.
Exceptional mothers
Durham Tropicals™ are exceptional mothers. They are good milking, protective mothers of calves that hit the ground and get up and go.
Foraging Ability
Our cattle are extremely good at utilising all the pasture available to them and not concentrate their grazing habits around the watering points.
MSA Compliant
Durham Tropicals™ are 81.25% Shorthorn blood thus making them MSA compliant and able to grade 3, 4 or 5 under MSA.