About Us
YOU NEED BIG BOLD BANQUET BULLS
Banquet is a family owned and operated Seedstock Business.
The Branson Family of Noeleen, Stephen, Gordon, Dianna and Hamish operate a predominately Angus Cattle operation. Banquet markets 200 bulls annually through auction sales at Mortlake, Victoria and private selections.
Gordon also has his own Banquet White Suffolk Stud which he founded when he was nine years old. He now runs 250 stud ewes and is developing a farm contracting business.
Dianna has taken over the fledging Banquet Brangus operation. Initially these cattle were bred as part of our research into crossbreeding for our Queensland clients. Dianna is now developing some elite genetic combinations.
Hamish began breeding Suffolk Sheep in 2011. Banquet Blacks is now growing rapidly and achieving some major successes.
Banquet is located at Mortlake in South Western Victoria and farms 1300ha of owned and leased property.
For years the Branson family has focussed on a different breeding Program.
The success of their breeding program has been quite noticable at recent Western Victorian Weaner sales. Producers, buyers and agents are commenting on Banquet blood steers- "The steers are certainly different". "We realised long ago that processors want the bigger framed longer and thicker Angus steers to hang meat on", Stephen Branson explains.
These bigger framed, heavier boned steers are being sought by backgrounders and finishers who regonise they will recieve heavier exit weights and consequently more dollars by buying the Big, Bols, Black, Banquet style of cattle. In order to supply the demand for sires to produce bigger thicker cattle Stephen and Noeleen Branson decided to breed their own high impact gorwth sires.
Breeding Philosophy
"Banquet is the richest source of line bred, outcross genetics" Stephen Branson
Why Line Bred Genetics? The Branson's believe in the power of superior females. They have always strived to include as many of the females that have proved superior in their environment for the traits they prize in all the home bred sires they use. Over 25 years this philosophy has weaved a rich tapestry of pedigrees including multiple crosses of their best females. Progeny of this program are more consistent but more importantly what they produce for Banquet clients are more consistent. This results in larger lines of more even steers- improved returns. And more even lines of replacement females with superior surplus females for sale- improved returns.
Why Outcross Genetics? Banquet jealously protect their cow herd from the fad bulls. They only introduce sire lines that come from superior females and from programs that share the same valves. Like Merchiston and Atahua in New Zealand and Anvil, Millah Murrah, Ben Nevis and Clunie Range in Australia. With any introductions they expect them to produce a sire from one of their elite cows to replace themselves. If they don't, they are quickly retired. Therefore the Banquet herd is an outcross to almost all the common AI sires.
What makes these Banquet Bulls different?
What is unique about the Banquet operation is that each female is treated as an individual, not as a sire group. The various herd mangaers know the background of each cow and the purpose it serves within the herd. Each cow's joining is determined so that it will produce a calf to maximum genetic potential. All cattle, including the bulls are treated as individuals and are continually scrutinised monitored and measured.
EBV's are important in predicting certain traits. However the other traits such as temperament, structure, butt shape, hair type, maturity pattern etc, can only be assessed by astute and competent herd managers.
The Branson's believe that as seed stock producers, if they need to rely on imported semen to produce bulls, then the bulls they bred previously just aren't good enough!
Banquet clients are finding that Banquet homebred cattle are outperforming those bred by many imported sires – such is the success of the Banquet breeding program.
By targeting their breeding program to the needs of their clients, Banquet has built up a large following, with buyers from all states of Australia competing strongly for their bulls.