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History
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The Midgee Braford Stud was registered by Bob and Jan Hamilton in 1985 with 16 Little Valley females and Little Valley Eros a polled bull. Hereford cows were retained and bred to Eros and subsequent Braford stud sires eventually providing some of their best female lines after several generations and classification in the 1990’s.
The Braford gene pool has grown with females purchased from Hawthorn Brae, Snowden, Chadwick Downs, Baroma Downs and Little Valley studs. Midgee
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Midgee Ben at Lismore Show |
| principal sires have come from Doonside, Chadwick Downs, Strathgyle, Baroma Downs, Little Valley and Midgee. Midgee’s breeding priorities have always focused upon the Braford female, requiring excellent temperament, good bone and conformation with moderate scale and fleshing.
Doonside Darrin, Strathgyle Banjo, Baroma Downs Konrad and Midgee Ben have been and are still the most influential sires in producing Midgee bulls and females.
Midgee was a Braford Breedplan Pioneer having joined Breedplan in 1996 and Group Breedplan at its inception. Midgee cattle rank highly on EBV’s for growth, particularly 200 day weights.
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| Elizabeth at Tenterfield |
Showing
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| In 1992 Midgee entered the show ring as one way of promoting the breed and the stud. By 1995 broad ribbons were won at the Brisbane Exhibition followed by several championships over the next 5 years. Midgee cattle have been exhibited with great success at all Far North Coast shows from Grafton to the Tweed as well as Bell and Beaudesert (Q’land) |
and Tenterfield. In 2005 Midgee females won ribbons at the National Braford feature show at the Sydney Royal. Highlights in the show ring have been:
- Midgee Elizabeth, Junior Champion female, Brisbane 1996
- Midgee Elizabeth, Senior Champion female, Brisbane 1998
- Midgee Fergie, Junior Champion female, Brisbane 1998
- Midgee Martina, Junior Champion female, NSW Feature Show Warialda in 1996
- Midgee Mary, Supreme Exhibit/All Breeds female at Murwillumbah, Bell and Nimbin in 1999
- Midgee Majella, Reserve Champion Female at the Goondoowindi Braford State of Origin Feature Show in 2000 and senior and grand champion females at many local shows
- Midgee Katie, Junior Champion Female at the Gloucester Feature Show in 2003
- Midgee Isabelle, Junior Champion, Bell in 1999
- Midgee Ben, Supreme Exhibit/Supreme Bull at Maclean and Murwillumbah and Senior and Junior Champion Bull at Lismore, Gloucester and many other shows from 2001 to 2003.
In 1994 Jodie Hamilton became an integral part of the stud, participating in the show ring and assisting with Field Days and the promotion of Braford cattle. Bob, Jan and Jodie have been invited to judge at a number of shows over the past 5 years. Judging venues have included the Royal Toowoomba Agricultural Show, the Tenterfield Show and several of the local North Coast shows. Jodie also judged Braford cattle at the Sydney Royal in 2006. Jodie has additionally taken the opportunity to visit a number of Braford studs in Argentina to broaden her knowledge of the breed.
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The Australian Braford
The development of the Australian Braford commenced in the Rockhampton area in 1964. This infusion of Bos Indicus bloodlines into the predominate Bos Taurus stock of the day was prompted by the devastating effect of prolonged drought and an uncontrollable cattle tick infestation.
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Cows and calves at Midgee |
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Necessity provided cattleman of the area with motivation while initiative and experience ultimately produced the answers. Hence the emergence of the Australian Braford. A beef breed with the hardiness of the Brahman combined with the fine beef qualities of the Hereford.The Braford breed is now considered a pure breed with the concept of carrying a wide gene base with the potential for variation to best suit conditions of any area in the Nation. They have become known for their adaptability to all Australian conditions from heat and humidity, to snow and arid dry, Brafords can handle droughts and have resistance to parasite infestation, eye cancer and bloat. The breeds “Net Feed Efficiency” rating is currently number one (1) and has been proven in trials time and time again.
Brafords are known for their outstanding foraging ability and the fact that they perform equally well on pasture as they do under feedlot conditions. The ability of the Braford cow to consistently raise a quality calf year in and year out, a calf with rapid growth rate from birth, is a great combination under any production system and has ensured her place in Australia’s beef industry.
The Braford breed has also left its imprint on the National Paddocks to Palates Challenges. Awards include Best Overall Beef, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals totalling twelve medals over seven challenges in three years.
Over the past twelve months Braford Breeders from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Mexico USA and South Africa have visited Australia to appraise the Australia Braford with the view to importing semen from selected bulls to introduce a wide genetic base into their herd. Most of these countries have been importing semen from Australian Braford breeders for a number of years. A further plus for the breed is the recent confirmation that they are a desirable for export to Brunei, Philippines and Vietnam.
From 1st to 5th May 2006 the Australian Braford Society hosted the 3rd World Braford Congress in Rockhampton. This was held in conjunction with the Beef 2006 Exposition and followed the recent very successful feature breed display at the 2005 Sydney Royal Easter Show this gave ABS members the opportunity to showcase their cattle once again.
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