Brampton Park award Master Breeder

Prefix: Brampton Park

Member: R B & H Mountford

Location: Rosabrook, WA

How long have you been in the industry: 32 years

Farming generation: 3rd gen

Land size: 346 acres and lease another 270 acres plus further land

Cows milked: 240

Important cow families: Maggie, Madeline and Whynot

Favourite bull used: Benner Bardo and Cedarwood

Current Bull Team: Luster, Dylan, Ferraro, Eugenio, Eustice, Mirand, Doc

Important traits: a larger cow with good udders

First EX cow: Brampton Park WB Maggie

Born into a dairy family as a 3rd generation farmer, Brad Mountford has followed in his father Ron’s footsteps, dedicating his entire life to dairying.

“I always knew I wanted to be a dairy farmer” says Mr Mountford.

As a young kid, Brad was introduced by his dad to the show ring, which reaffirmed his interest and passion for cows.

Brad says “we used to go to the Perth Royal and do the country circuit but when we moved farms from Boyanup to Rosebrook, we had to put showing on the backburner so we could milk more cows”.

“Achieving the Master Breeder award is a something that never really crossed my mind. It wasn’t something we were working towards, it was just something that evolved from breeding good cows. To win the award is an added bonus for our efforts over the years!” says Mr Mountford.

He attributes a lot of his success to the foundations his father Ron laid before him.

“Fortunately Dad established a stud he bought from key cow families in WA and I’ve been lucky enough to breed from those families.”

When it comes to breeding goals, his aim is to produce an EX cow every time. The Mountford’s breeding strategy is centred on ensuring different variations on type and production are used in their program.

“We like a slightly taller, longer, open-framed, big-bodied cow” says Brad.

As a Master Breeder, two of the most important cow families within the Mountford’s herd are the  Maggie and Madeline families, shown extensively back in the 1980’s and 90’s.

Another prominent cow family that has made a valuable contribution throughout the herd is the Whynot cow family, which came from a cow his father bought from the 1984 Andeswood’s Dispersal in Victoria.

It is clear the Mountford’s breeding program had become largely successful when they progressed their 8,500 litre herd average to 10,000 plus litre herd average, which resulted in more litres per cow and a much better profit margin.

“Breeding milk into the cows and working with a nutritionist to get the feed ration right through the summer time and achieving better pasture quality has really helped contribute to our success”.

Currently Brad uses sexed semen on heifers, synchronises mate heifers and follows up with a bull.

Winning the Master Breeder award was a pleasant surprise for Mr Waterford as it was something he had considered applying for but never got round to doing.

“To me, this award means we’re on the right path with our breeding program. I’m very proud of my Dad Ron, because he bred a lot of the cows over the years and he also bred the previous descendants that helped us achieve this award.

Please join us in congratulating the Mountford family on their outstanding achievement and contribution to the Holstein breed.