Vitulus Lowline Stud

Vitulus Lowline Cattle Stud is one of Australia's larger and most successful breeders of purebred Lowline cattle. Lowline attributes are very appealing to a wide range of producers including the commercial cattleman due to their low birth weights and early maturity patterns, the dairy industry due to their calving ease and shorter gestation periods and those with smaller acreage due to their size, docility and increased stocking rate.

Vitulus (Latin for small calf), pronounced Vy-tool-us, has the largest registered female herd in Queensland and is situated just over one hour away from Brisbane in the beautiful Lockyer Valley. [view map]

Stud Manager, Margo Hayes, coming from a rural background (a property of some 7,000 acres wherein both cattle and sheep were run) began breeding Australian Lowline cattle in 1996 due to the advantages of this breed to both the commercial cattle industry and the small acre farmer.

Margo spent seven years on Council of the Australian Lowline Cattle Assoc. She also chaired the Association's Marketing and Promotions portfolio as well as being on the Executive Committee of the Australian Registered Cattle Breeder's Association. She is committed to and passionate about the future of the Australian Lowline cattle breed.

In November 2005 and again in 2007 she was invited to judge at Christchurch Royal Show in New Zealand. In January 2006 she was the guest speaker at the American Lowline Registry's annual dinner which was held during the Denver Show's 100th year celebration. In March 2007 Margo was a guest speaker at Thailand's International Agriculture Festival. She is regular columinist for the Queensland Country Life's Smart Farmer Magazine and in 2008 the publication of her book titled "Small Cattle for Small Farms" by CSIRO was released.

Vitulus' show progeny have been sold to nearly all states in Australia including South Australia and in December 2005, the Northern Territory. They are currently expanding their export market for semen, embryos and live cattle with sales so far to include the USA, Central America, Thailand, New Zealand, England and Ireland and ongoing negotiations with a number of other new countries. In January 2004 Vitulus was the first Lowline Stud in the world to export semen to Thailand. In 2006 Vitulus was the first Lowline Stud in the world to export embryos to Great Britian and Ireland and live Lowline to Thailand.

The Genetic Advantage

The focus is to supply superior genetic material, which are sourced from all over Australia to obtain a diverse and successful genetic pool to meet the demands of the stud and commercial beef industry. The Vitulus female herd is chosen carefully so that they are quiet, fertile, feminine, sound, possess good milking ability and as such are a uniform cowherd. The criteria they want their bulls to exhibit include: fertility, masculinity, temperament, mobility, marbling, and structural soundness. It is these bulls, which will perform in both the stud and commercial environment.

The Vitulus Customer

Our market research (which includes the geographics, demographics, psychographics and the geodemographics) has shown that the average Lowline customer, excluding the commercial buyer, has small acreage, is a dual income producing household, has had minimal previous experience with cattle and there is a high percentage of women and children involvement. As such they want small, quiet, high value cattle. This is why it is so important that we provide such detailed and on-going after sales support.

The Vitulus Guarantee

Vitulus is synonymous with quality. The facilities and stock are first class with undercover embryo transplant facilities and feeding stalls, bull sheds, laneway system, improved pastures and fully irrigated pastures. All stock come fully registered with ALCA, are fertility guaranteed, Breedplan recorded and DNA tested. Furthermore all bulls are GeneStar tested for Marbling, Tenderness & Feed Efficiency. This is supported by continued after sales service and expert advice.

After Sales Service

This is what Vitulus is all about. Vitulus guarantees to look after its customers for as long they require, providing them with all the necessary information and help them need. We produce regular newsletters, run Care and Management Courses, hold annual field days, provide free advice and host information days. To help facilitate this service we now offer a fitting service where we will also show your cattle for you. We will break them in, train them and show them at both Royal and local shows, as you are able to tap into the staff that Vitulus already employs. The results speak for themselves with many of our clients winning and becoming broad ribbon recipients.

RedLine™

Vitulus is very excited about its Redline cattle which, to date, are derived from registered purebred Lowline. Whilst the Australian Lowline Association does not recognise the colour red, other international Associations do. Vitulus has the first red heifer, which is now 4 years old, as well as a bull calf born in August 2005 'Vitulus Awesome Red' (whose semen rights have already been sold to the USA for $25,000) which reside at Vitulus whilst all other red stock has been exported to the USA. The red gene and the wild allele are evident within the Angus herd and as Lowline are derived from Angus (Vitulus can trace its lineage back some 35 years) one would expect the colour red to appear at some stage. We have proof that Trangie bred Red Angus genetics which is why they are evident in Lowline. In actual fact in the USA the red gene is far more predominant in Angus than the black. These RedLine animals have been identified with the wild Allele by the NSW Department of Agriculture by DNA testing and their parents are registered within the ALCA herd book.

The Science behind The Red Gene

To find out more please go to our RedLine page where the latest research and evidence we can provide is detailed. We have also developed a breeding and probability program, which will help us, produce more RedLine. Now that we have a red heifer and a red bull, from different lines, we have been able to produce a number of red progeny. Our first red calf for 2009 as been born!

The benefits of red coloured animals are self evident for the northern environments as red cattle are not as affected by the heat, as the red colour reflects sunlight better than black, and they seem to be less affected by insects. This is not only evident in Red Angus but also Senepol, Bonsmaras, Brahmans and Belmont Reds to name a few. It is important to note that to be classified as Red the animal must have apink nose and tongue and not just a red coloured coat.

Want to know more about Lowlines?

We have a wide range of quality stock for sale including commercial Lowline cattle as well as licensed semen from our Show Winning Bulls and as such, welcome all enquires. Perhaps you would like a copy of our DVD, brochure, information kit or just continue to browse through our website?