The Rogers and Macdougall families will offer 270 PTIC Angus females, rising three and older, in the Wattletop dispersal.
Succession planning and property distribution has pre-empted the dispersal of the 35-year-old Wattletop Angus stud herd next month.
The stud was established by Lock Rogers with 25 HBR and 25 APR cows inherited from the Glenavon Angus stud, which contains bloodlines of the nation’s oldest Angus stud, Bald Blair.
Lock’s daughter, Jess, and her husband Henry Macdougall plan to run a commercial cattle operation at Wattletop while Lock will continue to run his Door Key Wagyu stud at “Stratton”, Guyra, and sell 100 bulls each year.
The first stage of the dispersal at “Wattletop”on May 25 will offer 270 PTIC females, rising three and older.
Stage two on March 15, 2018, will catalogue 120 “L drop” heifers PTIC and with calves, plus 150 PTIC M heifers.
“All females are in calf to the latest genetics in our program including Ayrvale General G18, Ayrvale Bartel E7, Wattletop Franklin G188, Musgrave Big Sky and Alpine Justice J108,” Jess said.
“Lock has received great pleasure from breeding stud Angus cattle and will deeply miss his cows and the satisfaction that every new generation of calves has brought him.”
Some of the highlights of owning Wattletop Angus for Lock have included:
– Selling the top priced Angus Bull in 2009. Wattletop Andy C109 for $38,000 to John and Joan Woodruff of Witherswood Angus. That year the stud recorded the second highest Angus bull sale average.
-Achieving the second highest bull sale average in 2001 of $6,500.
-Developing relationships with clients and sharing in their own successes in feedlot and carcase competitions with Wattletop progeny. These include Nigel White from Coffin Creek Angus winning the carcase competition at the Brisbane EKKA. Peter Nichols from Throwley Station winning the carcase competition and most successful exhibitor at the Merriwa Prime Cattle Show. Bruce Allen and his daughter Georgie and son in law James Knight winning the Teys Beef Spectacular Feedlot trial Grand Champion pen of steers and Champion Angus Pen of Steers.
-Producing two sires that have performed strongly in the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program. E111 was ranked second for MSA index and marble score and third for IMF and G188 was ranked first for, 600 day weight, 400 day weight. Second for EMA scan , 3rd for 200 day weight ,rump fat and NFI-F and fourth for MSA marbling.
-Developing a relationship with Paraway Pastoral Company supplying around 50 bulls annually. Paraway have become one of the number one suppliers of cattle to Killara and Rangers Valley Feedlots based mainly on Wattletop Angus genetics. They have the highest average daily weight gain and carcase grade at Killara feedlot.
“Something that sets the Wattletop cow herd apart from other Angus herds is that every cow has been independently assessed every year for the last ten years by Dick Whale which means the 540 that will be offered are the absolute best of the herd,” Jess said.