Silage-based feeding program enhances efficiency in Northern Beef Operation

A silage-based feeding program is driving the efficiency of a large-scale northern beef operation by placing early-weaned calves onto a rising plane of nutrition that ultimately reduces the age of turn-off and improves meat quality.

John and Mary Atkins, together with their daughter and son-in-law, Trish and Luke Gadsby, run an integrated breeding and finishing operation based at ‘Spion Kop’ in Queensland’s Western Downs, combined with ‘Marqua Station’ in the Northern Territory.

‘Spion Kop’ is a 4,141 ha. property located 65 km south-west of Taroom.

It hosts a 3,000 head silage feed pad, an 1,800 head feedlot, as well as having a backgrounding capability of approximately 2,000 cattle on grass.

The 4,500 square kilometre (441,000 ha) ‘Marqua’ station is located near the Queensland-Northern Territory border and runs an average of 6,000 Santa Gertrudis breeders, which includes first calf heifers.
The breeding herd is mustered in July/August, with the majority of calves weaned.

“We can only do one muster a year because of the heat and the cost,” Trish Gadsby says. Replacement heifers and heavier steers remain on ‘Marqua’, with the lighter and younger weaners transported to ‘Spion Kop’ for finishing.

Depending on the year, up to 2,500 weaners weighing approximately 260kgs and under, are transported 1,800 kilometres to ‘Spion Kop’, where they are fed a silage-based ration for about 3 months, or until the season breaks and the spring rain arrives.

“With the ability to feed a silage ration to the weaners at ‘Spion Kop’, it allows us to wean quite young, down to about 10 weeks, which then allows the cows the best chance of getting back in calf before the summer heat.

“This program significantly contributes to a higher calving percentage and weaning rate.”

The weaners are fed just hay for the first day or two before silage, grain and other commodities are introduced to the ration.

The ration contains 60% silage, 30% grain (barley and sorghum), cotton seed, molasses, premix concentrate and LEVUCELL SC.

The ration is delivered once a day and fed into a concrete or home-made conveyor-belt troughs.
Daily feed intake approaches 17 kg/head/day, by the end of the feeding period. A nutrient analysis is conducted on all ration ingredients before being formulated by nutritionist, Steve Blake from Ultralix, Charters Towers.

As mentioned, the weaner ration contains LEVUCELL SC probiotic, a natural, strain specific live yeast that has been scientifically proven to develop rumen function and a stable rumen environment.

Its beneficial effects upon rumen function, digestibility and feed conversion efficiency have been documented in more than 60 scientific papers published throughout the world.

“LEVUCELL SC is such an important aspect of our ration, especially for the baby weaners.
Being able to improve their rumen function is vital. Maximising their feed conversion by increased digestibility of the ration, is also leading to long term greater weight gains, which is an asset in itself.” Trish says.

“The goal is to get them going and moving forward before we put them onto pastures in spring.

Steers are then turned onto buffel pastures for 3 to 12 months until they reach 400 kg liveweight, ready for finishing in the feedlot for a minimum of 100 days.

On average, the feedlot steers weigh approximately 680 kg liveweight to produce 360 kg carcase when sold as certified grain fed to Kilcoy Global Foods.

The females are sold as replacement heifers or processed for the domestic market.

“The pre-conditioning program also means we can maintain grass cover over winter and get a quicker response when the season breaks.”

“In a drought year at ‘Marqua’, this feeding program allows us the option of having a much earlier muster. Being able to wean the majority of the calves also allows the cows a greater chance of survival.”

Besides their own station-reared steers, the company purchases approximately 1,000-1,500 store steers each year to maintain capacity.

The enterprise finishes between 3,000 and 4,000 steers and puts between 500 to 1,000 heifers up for sale annually.

Stud bulls are sourced annually from Dangarfield Santa Gertrudis Stud, Taroom, with particular focus on temperament, fertility and conformation.

The Atkins’ three-way focus on genetics, low stress stock handling and ensuring cattle remain on a rising plane of nutrition helps to optimise meat quality.

In 2017, John and Mary won the inaugural Progress Award for Queensland at the Meat Standards Australia Excellence in Eating Quality awards.

The citation noted the Atkins’ efforts to improve fat cover and reduce ossification score and carcase pH.
“We strive to produce the best cattle possible for our business, and the MSA grading is one of many tools used to measure this” Trish says.

“We certainly see a difference between our ‘Marqua’ bred cattle and the purchased steers.”
‘Spion Kop’ also supports a 650 ha. cropping program, including forage oats, barley (for hay) and forage sorghum (for silage).

John and Mary have been growing silage for more than 20 years.

“Silage is the backbone of this operation,” Luke Gadsby says.

“This is a great fattening and backgrounding property, but I think we would struggle to turn off 1,000 steers annually on pastures alone.
“The use of silage and LEVUCELL SC has certainly played, and will continue to be, a major part of our success.”
The Atkins’ have worked closely with the technical services team from Lallemand Animal Nutrition for many years, including the late Trevor Schoorl and more recently, Jordan Minniecon.

Harvested sorghum is treated with MAGNIVA Platinum forage inoculant, a unique combination of bacteria that promotes rapid ‘front end’ fermentation and ‘back end’ aerobic stability.

In effect, it allows silage to be opened earlier and last longer after opening.

“We aim to grow as much forage sorghum as possible, with approximately 1,500 to 2,500 tonnes of silage chopped annually and stored in three short-term pits” Luke explained.

“Most of the silage gets used in the weaner program and the feedlot each year but we also like to have at least another 2,500 tonnes in long-term storage as a drought mitigation measure. It also gives us the ability to trade cattle when the season isn’t favourable.” Trish says.

“It’s like having money in the bank and we know it’s there if we need it. Having this continues to prove extremely beneficial. With weather and cattle market conditions being less than favourable at the end of 2023, we were able to hold onto heifers for an extra three months, and dramatically increase their selling price in early 2024.”