Sam and Jenny Bailey of “Pine Hills” Croppa Creek took out the prize for the best Pen of British or British Cross Steers at the Inverell Blue Ribbon Weaner Sale on April 30 this year with a pen of 16 ten-month-old Angus steers, weighing an average 321kg. The pen of steers also won the overall top prize for the Grand Champion Pen against more than 4000 weaners at the same sale. Sam and Jenny have been purchasing Texas Angus Stud bulls since 2001. A large proportion of the prize-winning steers carried Texas bloodlines, via both sires and Sam and Jenny’s breeding herd, which includes a large number of cows by Texas bulls.

Sam and Jenny currently run an Angus herd of 120 cows, with plans to expand over the next few years by retaining their own heifers. They target the weaner market, turning eight to ten-month-old steers off their mothers and either selling at the feature weaner sales or on farm. Their goal is to get maximum growth between 200 and 400 days in their steers, while producing good framed, very quiet fertile heifers which produce plenty of milk. They put their main focus on looking after their cow herd, to the extent of putting in oats solely for their cows. Their philosophy is ‘if you look after the cow, the cow will look after the calf’.

They choose Texas bulls because of their growth, frame and bone, milking ability and very importantly, quiet temperament.

Congratulations to Sam and Jenny for their very successful book “Head Over Heels” and their expanding public speaking, they certainly have put Croppa Creek on the map!

Photo (left to right Mark Smith, McGregor’s Agricultural Services, Sam and Jenny Bailey and Doug Smith, McGregor’s Agricultural Services Warialda)