REX Forrest likes nothing more than seeing the females behind a breeding herd.
Great opportunity: Beechworth Poll Hereford stud breeder Rex Forrest has won the Beef Week heifer challenge.
The Beechworth Poll Hereford breeder reckons a bull is only as good as the herd's average productivity.
"The females are the most important part of any stud," he said.
Rex, wife Trish and daughter Narelle have entered a team of 10 heifers in the inaugural Beef Week Heifer Challenge.
Sponsored by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, the challenge is aimed at highlighting the quality of stud herd replacements and creating a new source of interest.
Beef Week studs have been invited to display a team of 10 registered heifers under two years of age, with finalists selected at each field day.
Beef Week field days run from January 27 to February 3.
Mr Forrest has chosen a line of 20-month-old unjoined heifers on type, colour, dam's pedigree and future potential.
"It is a great opportunity for people to look at the future breeding herd and see what we are aiming towards," Mr Forrest said.
"We breed around 50 heifers a year and sell 10-15 per cent as surplus females after culling on structure and frame size. The females are then culled again as second calvers on their productivity.
"All too often we go to stud displays during Beef Week and only see bulls. We always have a percentage of cows and calves on display as I'm big on milk and fertility."
The Rosstulla heifers are run with 500 Bindawarra and Toland-blood Merino ewes.
