GIBSONS and Devon cattle have been linked for about five generations. But producers Ross and Bethany Gibson of Delungra have only began showing the breed in the past three years, and their recent visit to Sydney has again proved a success.

SHOW WINNERS: Ross Gibson with the stars of the show, some of the family’s Devon herd.

The Gibsons returned from the Royal Easter Show with winners in the Junior Champion Devon Female, the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy for the Junior Champion Female, Junior Champion Devon Bull, the Reserve Champion Bull and John Anderson Perpetual Trophy for the Junior Champion Bull, several second places and the Most Successful Devon Exhibitor. Ross Gibson said they certainly felt a high after the judging day, but said their primary aim is to build the highest quality and most resilient Devon herd as possible, and the ribbons are the gravy. 

“Our primary business is producing top end beef for butchers in Sydney. And so, we find with the Devons, that they actually give us a high quality of beef and also with a very even fat cover,” Ross said.

The butchers Ross works with dry age the beef, and hang it for at least three weeks. The concept hit home on a visit to relatives back in Scotland about 15 years ago.

He said he was enjoying a piece of beef from his uncle’s herd, and remarked on the quality of the meat. His uncle replied that the meat had been aged for six weeks from a 12-year-old cow. 

The difference was the ageing process and the fat composition on the carcase. It was a game changer for Ross, and ageing has become an integral part of their program.

“So for that to happen, the cattle have got to have a very even fat content, on the rump and rib, and the Devon cattle tend to have that, and a lot of cattle we’re breeding for, that’s one of our key selection parameters,” Ross said.

The family are scrupulous about their breeding program and many of their female lines stem back for several decades.

“We tend to run cow families. Bulls are important, but it’s amazing how cow families have particular characteristics,” Ross said.

The Gibsons tend to produce their own bulls, keep a keen eye on cow condition to ensure successful breeding and calving, try to minimize weaning time stress and handling for the animals, and develop a strong rumen in their young stock to maximise their energy input. 

“So managing genetics, managing nutrition to come up with a better end product, is sort of what we’re all about,” Ross said.