Mabelie Square Meaters Cattle Stud: Sales

After nearly 8 years Mabelie Square Meaters Stud at Narromine has dispersed. New members Wayne and Jenny Petrie from Orange in NSW have bought the total Mabelie herd.

This follows on from a reduction sale in 2009 which saw some of our top class females sold to Gordon and Olena Newton of Gympie Qld including Rainbow Melody Y8 and her daughter Mabelie Arwen, females from our Rene and Mabelie Belle family line and females from our Molly Rose and Mabelie Rosie lines. Terry Talbot from Cowra NSW also bought a number of heifers, some joined to Brinsley Zambezi, to found his stud herd.

We have been needing to expand our operation for some time and a farm that suits our needs has become available but unfortunately at this stage the cattle cannot make the move with us. The Petries’ have been able to secure some wonderful females and also the multi champion sire Brinsley Zambezi and the exclusive semen rights to Brinsley Alchemy(AI).

Female lines sold in the dispersal include the Rosie family, who originate from Rainbow Molly Rose Y16A, purchased from Rainbow Stud’s highly successful 2004 Royal Show team. Molly Rose went onto win for us the overall interbreed at the Condobolin Show and Junior Champion Female at the Dungog Feature Breed Show before breeding Mabelie Astro (by Woolaringa Valance) who was the first bull calf registered by Mabelie. Astro went on to win 2nd to the Sydney Royal Show Supreme Champion Bull, in an extremely competitive junior bull class at the Canberra Royal Show. He also won numerous classes on the local show run before being sold to a producer who markets farm gate beef, to be used as their principal sire. Molly Rose Y16A now resides in Gympie Queensland with Gordon and Olena Newton.

The Petries have purchased two direct daughters of Molly Rose Y16A; Mabelie Rosie 1st B3A (by Woolaringa Ringo) with a bull calf at foot by Brinsley Zambezi named Mabelie Guido. Rosie B3A was Reserve Champion British Breeds Female at Dunedoo Show and class winner at the Dubbo Beef Spectacular beating off some of the strongest female competition seen in the Square Meaters show ring. The other direct daughter is Mabelie Rosie 2nd C4A (by Vesco Yes Man) also with a bull calf at foot by Zambezi named Mabelie Gun Metal. Rosie 2nd won Reserve Champion Junior Square Meaters female in the same year at the Beef Spectacular and then went onto win Champion Grass Fed female overall at the Narromine Show beating Angus, Poll Herefords and Charolais to name a few breeds. 4 other female descendants of these cows by Brinsley Zambezi, Brinsley Alchemy (AI) and Mabelie Elessar were also included in the sale

Rainbow Lizzy X6A has also been purchased by the Petries with a grey bull calf at foot Mabelie Gunpowder. There is no “Lizzy Family” as Lizzy has never had a heifer calf but the consolation is that her bull calves have been exceptional and she has plenty of grandchildren out there through her sire sons. Lizzy is a wonderful example of a Square Meaters cow with plenty of length, depth and that wonderful wedge shape that is so highly prized. Her bull calves have gone on to perform well in various Square Meater herds. Mabelie Buzz (by Woolaringa Valance) was sold to Muurabay Square Meaters Stud at Coffs Harbour, Mabelie Cassius (by Vesco Yes Man) is the principal sire at Argio Park in South Australia, Mabelie Faroh (by Brinsley Zambezi) is a commercial sire at Tottenham in NSW and Mabelie Elessar (by Brinsley Alchemy) has recently been sold to Woolaringa Square Meaters at Goulburn. We decided to castrate Lizzys bull calf in 2008 so we could have a “crack” at steer showing, Mabelie Darius (by Brinsley Alchemy) did us proud winning 3rd in the medium weight steer class at the Canberra Royal Show (the biggest steer class) and then went on the be the 3rd top price overall at the steer and heifer auction. Lizzys’ dam Caloona Showgirl is out of the cow Moema Bonita (SAO) who is also the dam of the great bull Caloona Trouble (AI).

The Petries have also purchased the Acacia family of females. The Acacia line was foundered on Thurloo Park Flower 8th purchased from Thurloo Park in 2004. Flower traces back to the Dunrossil Flower line, the Dunrossil cows are renown throughout Square Meaters breeding circles as being of the highest quality. Flower produced Mabelie Acacia A3A (by Rainbow Yucatan) in 2005; Flower was then sold to Double J Stud at Gilgandra in 2007 with a bull calf at foot Mabelie Byron (by Woolaringa Valance). Byron went on to become Double J studs’ main sire.

Acacia A3A has produced mainly females the most notable her 2009 heifer Mabelie Acacia E10 (by the bull Mabelie Damascus who is owned by Rainbow Valley Square Meaters in South Australia). Acacia E10 is joined to Brinsley Zambezi; she is the culmination of our breeding program with height, length, depth and a wonderful temperament. Acacia A3’s 2010 heifer Mabelie Flower F4 by Brinsley Zambezi has been broken to halter and is destined to great things. Acacia A3A with a bull calf at foot by Brinsley Zambezi named Mabelie Golden Boy, Mabelie Acacia E10 and Mabelie Flower F4 have all been purchased by the Petries.

The two main sires during the past five years at Mabelie Stud, Brinsley Alchemy (AI) and Brinsley Zambezi were also sold in the dispersal.

Brinsley Alchemy (AI) was purchased as a 12 month old bull calf from Brinsley Stud as the main herd sire at Mabelie. Alchemy was chosen for his frame, his beautiful soft skin, soft muscling and his outcross genetics. Alchemy was shown with some success including Reserve Champion Junior Bull at the Dubbo Beef Spectacular before fulfilling his duties as a stud sire. Alchemy is by Mandalong Up-Shot out of Mandalong Brave T22A. Brave T22A, a champion heifer at the Sydney Royal Show is also the dam of Royal Show broad ribbon winners Brinsley Waratah (AI), Brinsley Alice and Brinsley Amulet (AI). After two seasons use in our herd and a number of heifer calves by him reaching joining age, Alchemy was sold to a Murray Grey producer in the Blue Mountains. We retained his ownership and marketing rights and semen, which is now held by the Petries. Alchemy left some very good stock including Mabelie Elessar, Mabelie Arwen, Mabelie Belle, Mabelie Rosie E8, Mabelie Too Moo and Mabelie Darius. His calves have very large eye muscle areas, his steer son’s average over 60% dressing and have a lot of growth without sacrificing breed type.

Our search for a sire to cover our Alchemy heifers led us back to Brinsley Stud. Brinsley Zambezi was purchased. I had admired Zambezi from afar for sometime and had marked him down during the judging at Canberra Royal Show where he was Junior Champion Bull. Zambezi is by the foundation sire of Brinsley Stud, Thurloo Park Vision out of the magnificent cow WAC Brave Harmonica. As they say always look at a bulls dam and she was definitely worth looking at! She has produced some wonderful progeny most notably Mandalong Brave T22A, Brinsley Braveheart (Brinsleys’ Principal Sire) and Brinsley Fudge. Harmonica has recently delivered twin heifer calves at the age of 17. Zambezi has fertility and longevity in his bloodlines, two of the most important economic traits of any cow herd.

Zambezi is a frame score five bull with plenty of muscle, his depth and length have to be seen to be believed. His feet are the excellent and his temperament is unsurpassable. Wayne and Jenny are very excited to have been able to secure the purchase of Zambezi. The bull calves on the ground now are the best that Mabelie have bred and the Petries’ are going to retain some as bulls for sale at a later date. The F drop heifers have all of Zambezi’s’ characteristics, length, depth, fertility, great feet and an even temperament.

We would like to thank all our clients over the past 8 years, breeding, eating and selling our Square Meaters is so enjoyable that the time has flown. It feels like only yesterday when we joined the association. Picking steers for the Stanhill team in 2009 and 2010 was a highlight. Being a director of the board of the SMCAA was an honour, very challenging but rewarding. One of our other highlights was topping the market in Dubbo (the biggest cattle sales in NSW) and consistently achieving high prices for our commercial cattle. Having an article written about our stud in the Land was a highlight too. There are too many highlights to list!! We have met some truly wonderful people during our time breeding Squares and without naming each and every one (they know who they are), we thank them for the help, the advice, the laughs, the drinks…. and the wonderful cattle………………..AND who knows, a little later down the track, a couple of grey and silver cows may be seen grazing in our paddocks once again.

Kylie and Matt