BREEDING OBJECTIVES

Grazing cattle on the driest continent on earth requires cattle of great resilience - inherent traits of the Devon breed. Gowan Ross and Vix herds, although fully registered, are managed under strict commercial conditions. Remember our Devon girls living on Kurrajong leaves in the 2007 drought (Bulldust 65/2007). In the toughest of nutrition stress over 90% joined successfully. Our aim is to produce breeding stock that are high performers in our clients herds. In the five years we have been at Kurrajong we have sold bulls and females, semen and embryos into stud and commercial herds throughout Australia.

One of my first Devon females purchased epitomised all that I value and breed for in cattle. Purchased as a gangly heifer, by 5 years she was a magnificent cow. Caught then and shown to be Reserve Champion at the Sydney Royal in 1988 and 1989. Then shown again at Devon Expo in 1996 as a rising 14 year old for 2nd place in a strong cow class. Her soundness of type, constitution, temperament and longevity breeding repeatability was exceptional. Her sons and daughters lived productive lives into late teenage years.

Devon Breedplan is an integral part of the herd management. Growth rate, scrotal size  and carcase traits are measured on both males and females.  Our aim is to produce animals with above average milk to rear top calves who then have the ability to grow on to a range of target weights and are able to lay down fat on grass to yield superior carcase quality.

Numerous Group Breedplan trait leading cows and bulls are in the herd. Thirteen of the breeds top Milk sires are used in the herd, 10 of the top 200 day weight bulls and 9 of the top 600 day weight sires. As well several top sires for Scrotal size, Carcase weight, Eye Muscle area, Fat cover and Intramuscular fat are in our team.

Palinga Lilac U143

The breeding program is based on a wide selection of sires, (some 14 natural service sires were used in 2007) and through semen both imported and Australian to maintain a wide variety of unrelated lines within the herd.

Matings are carefully planned to make progress in each generation.

Our aim is cattle with great longevity, sound udders and feet, strong constitution and excellent temperament. Better than average performance cattle with longer trouble free productive lives.

Heifers are joined at 350kg which usually means they calve at 20 to 30 months depending on seasonal conditions.

Palinga Pearl P84 and bull calf in drought

SHOW RESULTS

Displaying Devon cattle at Australia’s most prominent cattle exhibitions is an important part of breed promotion. Gowan Ross and Vix Devons have been consistently prominent at local and major exhibitions. Vix Devons have been the most successful Devon exhibitor at the Sydney Royal Show in 2004 – 2008.

Our greatest reward is our clients having success with our genetics, for example, Wallaton Stud with progeny of Palinga Buckeye and Palinga Junior, Rotokawa breeding the sire of world acclaim Rotokawa 688 with semen from our sire Wombramurra Warlock L288 and Breedplan trait leading sire Rotokawa 02050 with Palinga Norman semen.

View our most significant show results since 2004.

Visitors are always welcome to come visit and see us and our cattle in their working clothes and talk Devons, Alison Heap (Gowan Ross) and Vic Edwards (Vix)

Vix Zed Z103 (P)

Vix Bomber B52
Supreme Exhibit Sydney 2008