{"id":844966,"date":"2026-08-06T00:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T00:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/844966\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T00:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T00:00:15","slug":"cree-santas-is-passionate-about-breeding-functional-cattle-queensland-country-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/844966\/","title":{"rendered":"Cree Santas is passionate about breeding functional cattle | Queensland Country Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LotLot 4 Winston (PP) will be one of 90 quantified bulls on offer at the Cree Santa Gertrudis sale on September 7. Picture by Five Star Creative Promotions<\/p>\n

There is laughter and chatting in the air, as well as the occasional call of cattle, as the sleek red hides move through the trees.<\/p>\n

The vast mob of shiny Santa Gertrudis cattle amble along, followed by a family on horseback.<\/p>\n

This is a time the McGuigan family enjoys – spending time working as a team.<\/p>\n

But it’s moments like these they get to see how much their passion for breeding functional, commercially-focused Santa cattle that can perform no matter the conditions is paying off.<\/p>\n

Cree<\/a> Santa Gertrudis’ motto – Quantified performance through validated genetics – is so much more than words. <\/p>\n

It is something the family strives for every day to produce superior genetics for their clients.<\/p>\n

A solid base<\/p>\n

Shaun and Jo McGuigan have been immersed in the cattle industry for decades, and it shows.<\/p>\n

Their Cree herd is made up of 1000 Santa Gertrudis cattle, including 400 stud females, grazing across several properties, including Kiah, Blue Haven and Westrock, 27 kilometres south of Thangool and 70km north of Monto. <\/p>\n

The family also manages properties The Meadows and 4 Winds north of Biloela.<\/p>\n

In addition, Andrew and Andrea Delforce, Anadel Rural, Augathella, run a satellite herd of Santa Gertrudis using exclusively Cree genetics.<\/p>\n

Something Cree takes very seriously is its obligation as a seedstock producer, focusing on running its Santa herd as commercially as possible.<\/p>\n

They aim to breed cattle that are functional and sound, that can rear a calf with good weaner weights and get in calf again each year, regardless of season and environment.<\/p>\n

\"LotLot 5 Winchester (P) will be offered at Cree Santa Gertrudis’ sale. Picture by Five Star Creative Promotions<\/p>\n

But this is only the beginning.<\/p>\n

Meticulous management is at the core of their success, and this starts with joining.<\/p>\n

Their aged breeders are joined for 90 days, while their yearling heifers are joined for 60 days.<\/p>\n

The McGuigans aim to identify early pubertal females, so yearling calves are weighed at birth to accurately track early gestation and birthweight estimated breeding value traits.<\/p>\n

Much of the strength in the Cree herd comes from its females. Traits like gestation length, birthweight, growth, fertility and docility are a focus. <\/p>\n

They want to produce females that are extremely fertile and low maintenance.<\/p>\n

But their focus isn’t only on the females – the McGuigans are conscious of ensuring their bulls are ready to cope with varied conditions and environments.<\/p>\n

The male calves are grazed on grass and leucaena. This environment prepares the bulls for the harsher conditions they will encounter after sale, including brigalow and mulga-type country.<\/p>\n

It’s important that their bulls forage for feed and can efficiently convert grass into energy, so they can perform in clients’ herds.<\/p>\n

“As far as seedstock producers saying their bulls are run under commercial conditions, every seedstock business supplying bulls to the broader beef industry should be applying pressure greater than the average commercial operator,” Mr McGuigan said.<\/p>\n

To this end, every sale bull is DNA verified, carries Zoetis Immune Ready status and is supplied with complete Australian Association of Cattle Veterinarians (AACV) breeding soundness certification, including semen morphology assessment, for complete confidence in every bull offered.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe McGuigan family working together to move a mob of its Santa Gertrudis cattle. Picture by Five Star Creative Promotions<\/p>\n

Dedicated to performance<\/p>\n

The McGuigan family’s stringent recording is an absolute must to ensure they are selecting the best genetics to carry their herd, and those of their clients, forward.<\/p>\n

Cree has been awarded a five-star rating for performance recording with Breedplan, which has been carried out over two decades.<\/p>\n

All data is recorded via live entry at the cattle yards using Stockbook software. <\/p>\n

They have found this system ensures accuracy and efficiency, especially when collecting TSU samples for DNA and genomics applications.<\/p>\n

And the dedication to meticulous recording and management is paying off.<\/p>\n

Since 2005, the Cree herd has shown continued improvements in the areas of fertility, breeding production and carcase weight compared to the Santa Gertrudis breed average.<\/p>\n

“For us, collecting data not only drives profitability in our own herd. It’s also about giving commercial producers greater confidence in the genetics they purchase and helping them predict how those genetics will perform in their own operation,” Mr McGuigan said.<\/p>\n

The McGuigan family encourages buyers to provide feedback and are always available after sale day, as they look forward to improving the performance of their clients’ herds with proven genetics.<\/p>\n

The Cree Santa Gertrudis 12th Annual Sale will take place on Monday, September 7 from 12pm. The on-property sale at Kiah, Thangool, will offer 90 quantified Santa bulls ready to work.<\/p>\n

“Whether you’re retaining replacement females, producing feeder steers or targeting premium grass or grain-fed markets, our objective remains the same – to provide genetics that deliver measurable value throughout the production chain,” Mrs McGuigan said.<\/p>\n

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