Preparing 12 of his Lowesdale Stud angus bulls for the annual Murray Valley Autumn Angus Bull Sale in Albury tomorrow, Dr Bennett said breeders used to think fast growth meant good feed conversion.

“But we’ve since found out this isn’t the case and there’s been a lot of research on this in the US confirming this fact.”

Dr Bennett, who is one of nine vendors at the sale, said structural soundness, along with temperament, rated at the top of his list of concerns for his own cattle herd.

“If they can’t walk to water, there’s no point being in calf — fertility, although vital, comes second in this instance.”

In saying this, Dr Bennett culls his herd hard for fertility, having zero tolerance for empty cows.

He also said good temperament was non-negotiable and blamed bad temperaments for many injuries inflicted on stock in feedlots.

In discussing market trends, Dr Bennett said the push for higher growth rates was making angus cattle more late maturing, a departure from the breed’s original appeal of being early maturing.

“That’s a real worry to me because this could cause us problems in the feedlot industry,” Dr Bennett said.

The annual autumn Murray Valley angus breeder sale features 54 bulls and starts at noon on Friday at the Albury showgrounds.