Feature Breeder - Battalion Speckle Park

from Australian Speckle Park Society Bulletin

SPX Beef - A new Sales Platform for Speckle Park Breeders

Australian Speckle Park Society’s

FEATURED BREEDER

Battalion Speckle Park (BAT)

Located in the high country of Dundee in the New England region of NSW, this small Speckle Park stud was born out of a long history of breeding horned Hereford. But by adding the Speckle Park breed to their herd, owners Grant and Kylie Kniepp are implanting up to 80 embryos a year to fast track their progress and their most recent results prove they are doing a great job at it.

From the first eight Speckle Park embryos, four calves were born; two bulls and two heifers. The two bulls were sold to average $22,000 at the record top of $26,000 at the Scone multi vendor sale in 2018. The heifers were kept and became foundation females; one of which delivered the top price bull this year and the other female (Heartbreaker M1) being the dam of their top price heifer this year (Heartbreaker P6) at $30,000.

Grant Kniepp is a born and bred cattle man, growing up in a commercial cattle operation. A self confessed, one man band, Grant breeds, feeds, prepares and markets for Battalion. Kylie, a qualified veterinary nurse, shares Grant’s passion for cattle and, with her additional skills in graphic design, they make a formidable all-in-one team for stud and commercial production and sales of cattle.

Grant’s experience stems from childhood. His first taste of breeding success was afforded him at the age of eight, when his father offered him a pick of the commercial heifers. This decision was one he had to stand by to prove his selection and breeding skills over the years. He soon realised the importance of strategic joining and the speed of genetic gain. After finally convincing his father to use one of the better sires over his commercial female, Grant bred a number of good quality replacement females. Money saved out of the steers from that female funded the purchase of his first stud Hereford female at the age of 14. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to 2020 and we find the Kniepp’s running 50 stud horned Hereford breeders and a successful program for Speckle Park. Grant was keen to explain why they switched to Speckle Park. “Once getting our Herefords to a standard we were happy with, we decided we wanted to diversify by adding another breed and we fell in love with Speckle Park cattle for their naturally thick body type. Those broad, flat tops and big round hind quarters demand attention at any stage in the beef industry.”

Although impressed by the aesthetic appeal and coat colour of the Speckle Park, Grant’s focus is on the commercial aspect of the breed. He believes the coat gives a “marketable advantage” in combination with a competitive carcass. He adds, “we should never lose sight that we are breeding beef, not marketing hides but it’s the eye-catching appearance that ultimately aids in drawing attention and demanding a closer look.”

Grant and Kylie are very positive about Speckle Park and its progress thus far. Although some may see it, as Grant terms, as a ‘boutique breed’, with many start-up studs and people not from a rural background, he feels this is a positive. “We believe it’s this very interest from highly qualified and successful business people that will ultimately assist in taking this breed to the top of industry and public acceptance. As more and more traditional cattlemen experiment with Speckle Park and the breed is exposed to larger scale commercial operations (which I am sure will have a positive impact), having those intelligent, successful, business-minded investors as advocates for the breed influencing their social circles will be a huge advantage.

“Our goal is to be a part of the breed that will be the next to dominate the beef industry.”

Battalion’s breeding goals stem from a desire to present the best animals at the point of sale. Grant explains, “although showcasing cattle is important, we do very little showing of our animals . Some of the best animals we have bred or sold never stepped inside a show ring, so show results rarely come into our decision making.”

With a focus on structurally sound animals, Grant lists the ability to develop extra muscle and shape, maintaining high fertility and good constitution among their key attributes. He details their selection process as follows; “we start at the ground and work our way up. Feet and legs being the starting point of every decision, followed by milk and udder quality in females. If those boxes aren’t ticked, it’s an immediate fail. Once the structure is correct we then try to breed or select the deepest and widest body types possible, with adequate length for sheer volume and capacity.” Once again, although a stud breeder, Grant prioritises the commercial production aspects and carcass qualities that Speckle Park can bring.

To date, focussing on Stands Alone 300X as their herd sire, Battalion are now seeking other sires with “power and performance”. Grant explains, “strategic joinings are carefully considered to maintain the forward direction of our herd and the breed in general.”

Based on a small amount of land and reliant on cattle sales for primary income, the importance of making decisions to attain the highest profit per acre and per head is paramount. Grant adds, “If our cattle don’t perform, they are replaced immediately. We will never allow our cattle to under perform”. It’s this keen eye on selection, joining and finally culling that makes for an impressive reputation for quality animals at Battalion.

The future looks bright for Battalion. “We intend to expand our Speckle Park breeding herd as big and as quick as we can whilst maintaining the same quality and standards. We are also planning to have our own Speckle Park sale in conjunction with our Hereford sale, which we started in 2019”, Grant explains. This may be a few years away but the Kniepps are keen to continue to progressively establish their reputation through multi-vendor sales and producing elite animals year after year.

In closing, I asked the Kniepps what they think makes Battalion unique? “We would like to think that when dealing with us, you get an open book and receive all the available knowledge and data we may have to make an informed decision on any potential business transaction. Our stud operation is our main business and we treat our animals accordingly. We wouldn’t pay an employee to sit down on the job nor will we allow our cattle to underperform . They have to earn their position in our business.”

With a solid reputation established for producing commercially viable, high performance stud animals, the Kniepps ethos shines through. Well done Grant and Kylie. We look forward to seeing Battalion’s Speckle Park progress in the coming years.