Brett Davidson said Beef Week allowed cattle breeders and producers to see his Murray Greys in a stress-free environment in their own paddocks.
This year’s Beef Week wound up as a great success on Saturday, February 3 with more than 144 studs opening their gates across Victoria and into NSW and South Australia.
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The Goulburn Valley had 14 farms participating in the country’s largest event of its kind.
Brett Davidson runs 60 breeding head and three bulls at Mount Major Murray Greys located in Yabba North and said the day was unique in how buyers could view cattle.
“It’s a low stress environment to look at something different,” Mr Davidson said.
“It’s an open day where people can just look at something different to see what breeders are doing.
“The cattle are usually out in the paddock and not always penned up so I take them out there.”
Mr Davidson has been breeding Murray Greys since 2006 with Dr Sarah Chaplin, inspired by his grandfather having bought a few bulls ‘back in the day’.
Brett Davidson chats to one of the many visitors that visited Mount Major Murray Greys as part of Beef Week.
Mr Davidson praised the temperament of Murray Greys and said his breeding strategy was to produce better beef.
“They have got a better temperament than Angus.
“They have the white coats which are good for heat stress, they have a really high welfare that consumers are after.
“They are well behaved; have no skin cancer and they win heaps of carcase prizes every year.
“It’s just a quality product.”
Mr Davidson gives all his stock a full carcase ultrasound to determine the quality of the beef in each animal.
“You do the eye muscles and the intramuscular fat so you can see who’s going to be the best in that group.
“Then you can start with a quality carcase.”
The stud still had two bulls for sale on Thursday last week, with another one in quarantine before its export to New Zealand.
The stud’s first on-property sale will be held in October.
Phil Hogan from Wattledene Murray Greys travelled from Bendigo to inspect the Pell family's herd of breeders.
At Tatura, Mark Pell took delight in hosting a steady stream of visitors to Mystical Murray Grey which he helps run with his parents.
“The cream on the scones is only going to go off, so you may as well eat them,” Mark said to every visitor.
Mark and his father Rob gave people the right balance between advising guests about their stock and giving them some space to inspect and think.
Jim and Dianne Morrisey from Toolleen were returning customers and had opportunity to compare a new bull with some young heifers.
Jim and Dianne Morrisey from Toolleen were returning customers to Mystical Murray Greys and coordinated with their daughter by phone before decisions were made about their purchase, weighing up between a new bull or some fresh heifers.
Mrs Morrisey said the day was an opportunity to be able to make such changes with their breeding stock.
“I guess it’s all here on the one spot on the one day,” she said.
Beef Week lets producers and buyers inspect potential breeding stock in their most relaxed environment — home.
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