Garbrook Bazadais

Ron & Sue Garrett have been breeding cattle for more than 55 years.

 

Ron originally from Urbanville in the Northern NSW border ranges, bred commercial, and stud Poll Herefords for 30 years. Sue was involved in dairying and bred commercial cattle for 20 years, and by chance, they found the Bazadais.

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They first saw Bazadais cattle in 1993 on a trip through Victoria to South Australia.  Deciding at that time that this new breed of cattle was just what we had been looking for to cross over our 160 head commercial herd.  Sue’s first comments were “I just want to breed cattle like that” after seeing the Bazadais cross calves. Within six months the Garrets had purchased a heifer calf and 2 bulls.

The bulls were used over their commercial herd consisting of several beef breeds, Drought master, Hereford, Santa cross, Angus and Brahman cross.  The results were just what they wanted, more length, more muscle and faster growth rates.

 

The first trip to the sale yard with our progeny was disappointing, to say the least.  We were very proud of our calves, but buyers were skeptical saying they are BAZA what!!!!  Wide Bay Feedlot purchased our first two turnoffs and after that, they would look for us at the sale yards and say, “Do you have any more of those BAZA things….  They had obviously been impressed with the results.

From that time on we started doing our own meat marketing and trials through our local butcher with the carcasses from various crosses. 

The butcher commented he had never seen such consistency and fine grain meat as these Bazadais.  They cut up so well and you only have about a bucket of waste.  The results over time were surprising.  What the French literature said, they actually achieved, with yields of meat to bone ranging from 80.5% to 86% from yearling calves with an average dressed weight of 220 to 230 kilograms.

 

While doing trials with the commercial cattle, Ron and Sue wanted to breed some more bulls so embarked on an embryo program with their one and only cow after she had her first calf, a bull, Garbrook Concierge (pictured below) affectionately known as JC because he was born on Good Friday. 

This first program started them on their way to stud breeding again.  The flush produced 10 A grade embryos with a result of 5 heifers and 1 bull calf.