Profitability in northern Australia depends on cattle that perform in real conditions — and that's exactly what we breed for. Our program applies strict joining periods across all age groups, with yearling heifers joined for 45 days and the cow and 2 year old heifers joined for 100 days. Bulls go in on November 1 each year. Two-year-old joiners and PTIC yearlings calve out in the cow mob with no special treatment. Sires are selected on dam fertility, structure, udder quality, and EBVs across growth, temperament, fertility, polledness, and colour. The whole herd is pregnancy tested at weaning — empties are culled, and PTICs are split into early and late calvers.
We put fertility first because without it, nothing else stacks up. Our joining periods are short and deliberate — bulls in, bulls out — and empties are culled without sentiment. Over time, this consistent pressure does the work for us. The fertile cattle stay, the rest don't, and the genetics that rise to the top are the ones genuinely worth building on.
We record BreedPlan EBVs across more than eleven traits, backed by genomic-enhanced data and DNA sire and dam verification on every calf. This gives us the accuracy to identify our truly outstanding animals — not just the ones that look the part on a given day. That said, data is a tool, not the whole answer. We're firm believers in moderate, functional cattle that are backed by solid figures — and we never lose sight of phenotype. Marketability matters, and a good-doing animal that also stacks up in the data is exactly what we're after.
Our cows run on grass year-round — no hay and no grain. From weaning, bulls and heifers are expected to perform on grass alone, with no hand-holding and no special treatment. They're grazed through an intensive rotational system that quickly sorts the good-doers from the rest. Cattle are managed in conditions that include the full reality of northern Queensland — flies, ticks, and seasonal pressure included. We don't shield our cattle from the environment; we let it do the selecting. The genetics that rise to the top in this system are the ones worth breeding from.
EBVs are a powerful tool for selecting individual traits, but in practice we're rarely chasing just one thing. Growth, fertility, temperament, structure — it all matters, and selection pressure on one trait can produce unintended changes in others. Besides, looking at traits holistically, we also find that EBV’s are most useful when looked at alongside phenotype. We never rely on a single tool of means of evaluation.
The Brahman BreedPlan offers two indexes that we refer to regularly in our selection process. The Live Export Index and the Central Production Index are both calculated using economically weighted trait combinations, giving a single figure that reflects genetic profitability for specific production systems and markets. Rather than juggling multiple EBVs in isolation, these indexes provide a practical starting point for identifying bulls that suit your breeding objective - and ours.
Learn moreTarramba is proud to be a member of Frontier Genetics — a collaborative group of Queensland seedstock producers committed to delivering high-accuracy, data-driven genetics to the northern beef industry. Frontier's approach is straightforward: use the data, improve fertility, growth, adaptability, and phenotype, and let the figures do the talking alongside the animal.
It's a no-nonsense philosophy that aligns closely with our own. Our involvement strengthens genetic linkage across member herds, improves EBV accuracies, and ultimately delivers better outcomes for the buyers who matter most — the commercial and stud producers putting these bulls to work.
Visit Frontier GeneticsWe believe bulls should look like bulls and cows should look like cows, feminine cows breed masculine bulls. We focus on functional, profitable genetics, recognising that outstanding traits can be found across all breeds when backed by the right program and honest data. We select on fertility, structure, temperament, and doing ability. Cattle that hold condition, work without fuss, and get back in calf. We're not chasing extremes. We're breeding for the grazing business that needs reliable, consistent performers season after season.
