AT FIRST glance, the black calves grazing on Ron and Wendy Coombers' property at Moree, in NSW, could be Angus.
They are black, but with a little more muscle and a wider butt profile.
But these aren't just any cattle: they're Rangemasters, the latest breed to make its mark on the Australian cattle industry.
Founding members of our newest cattle society, The Salers Beef Cattle Society of Australia, and owners of the Rangemaster trademark, Ron and Wendy are adamant the future of the Salers breed lies in crossbreeding.
So much so, they have formed the new society with the sole purpose of pushing the virtues of the French breed.
The Coombers' stud, Cairo Salers, deals mostly with clients seeking Rangemaster bulls or heifers to bolster hybrid vigour in low-input commercial herds.
The Rangemaster is a Salers-Angus cross which is black and polled and, according to its supporters, produces more saleable red meat while retaining maternal ability.
The Coombers work with a herd of 200 red Salers breeding females and a handful of registered Angus bulls to produce their Rangemaster calves.
They also produce red Salers bulls for work in Angus herds.
Originally bred for work, Salers are renowned for their meat, milk, fertility, calving ease and an ability to withstand harsh climates.
"So many people are interested in getting just a little bit of European blood into their herds," Wendy said.
"They're finding a straight British-bred animal isn't working for them any more, but black remains the popular choice."
Jim Robinson runs one such commercial herd and made the switch to Rangemaster bulls more than 12 years ago.
He runs 1300 Angus females, joined to Rangemaster bulls, on 3283ha at Hanging Rock in NSW.
Jim said calving ease and kilograms of beef weaned per female had both improved with the introduction of the bulls.
"Our type of country is very hilly and it's impossible to get around and keep an eye on them during calving, but we rarely have any problems," he said.
The cattle are mustered every three months for health treatments and any calves old enough to be weaned are sent straight to market, he said.
Clive McCarthy, at Oberon in NSW, runs 110 Rangemaster females, bred by the Coombers, crossed back to Angus bulls for a 360-400kg calf ready for sale at nine to 10 months.
The extra red-meat yield assists him in making the most of his 160 hectares.
"Even as old cows, the Rangemasters still produce a terrific calf and milk really well," he said.
"The progeny is black and, because of the size of the Salers, you get a good-sized animal.
"Our season doesn't come on until September, but once we get there, these calves just bounce away."
Once purebred breeders, Ron and Wendy Coombers admit they resisted change in the beginning.
"But we could see an opening," Wendy said.
It's an opening that has long been recognised in the US, where research at Kansas State University found Salers to have the lowest and most optimal birth weight coupled with growth and performance for crossing with Angus.
Research leader Dan Moser said Salers breed with maternally orientated milk production when combined with Angus.
"With other continental breeds, you have to sacrifice calving ease, growth or maternal (attributes)," Dan said.
"No other breed combines all traits as well."
The Coombers are convinced.
"The Rangemaster gives more live calves, more calves weaned, more cows bred, cow longevity and more kilos to sell," Wendy said.
"It's as simple as that."
The Salers Beef Cattle Society of Australia is looking for members throughout Australia to help develop the Salers-Angus-Rangemaster cross.
