Rob and Candy Cross of Fermanagh, Anakie, Qld, invest in elite Santa Gertrudis bulls to lift the performance and profitability of their breeding herd. Picture: Jacque Donaldson Photography

COMMERCIAL beef producers are turning to the inherent profitable traits of Santa Gertrudis cattle, with demand for bulls pushing along record clearance rates and industry leading average prices.

This marks an increase from last year’s average of $11,450, when Santa Gertrudis led all non-Wagyu breeds at auction.

The inherent environmental adaptability of the breed has been the key profit driver for the Arrabury Pastoral Company across their pastoral aggregation of three properties near Birdsville and Bedourie.

Heat tolerance, foraging ability

General manager Tony Schutt likes the Santa’s heat tolerance, foraging ability and resilience in the arid Channel Country, along with the flexibility to meet the carcase specifications of domestic and export markets.

Arrabury Pastoral runs a herd of 6000 breeding females in sandhill spinifex country and pebbly rangelands on the edge of the Great Stoney Desert with an annual average rainfall of 175-200mm.

“The biggest tick for the Santa Gertrudis is the suitability to our country – their adaptability is breed-leading,” Mr Schutt said.

He is impressed with the Santa bull’s longevity and structural soundness in the challenging environment. Bulls are selected on fertility, bone, growth and a moderate frame score.

Fertility, calving ease

Mr Schutt said the increased fertility and calving ease of the Santa had boosted calf marking rates at the cradle.

“We have come a long way with our calving and weaning percentages. The progeny we grow out are achieving better marbling scores under MSA grading.”

Season permitting, the steers are finished to 340-360kg carcase weight for export markets on the flood country while excess females are finished on the Western Darling Downs backgrounding property to 280kg carcase weight for domestic markets.

The Channel Country beef is supplied to Certified Organic markets through Teys Australia and Clayton’s Organic Beef.

Mr Schutt likes the early maturity and carcase quality of the Santas, with milk and four-tooth steers finishing to 340kg carcase weight off native vegetation.

“We targeted the Santa Gertrudis as they have the adaptability and can finish as well as the British breeds with softness and the right fat cover. They are a low cost/low input breed making them very sustainable, resilient and profitable at the end of the day.”

Crossbreeding options

Lotfeeders, backgrounders, steer finishers and restockers have consistently competed on the Santa x Shorthorn cross mixed sex weaners sold at the Emerald store and feature feeder and weaner sales offered by Rob and Candy Cross, Anakie. In May, the couple topped the weaner sale with nine to 10-month-old Santa x Shorthorn steers, averaging 384kg, and returning 428c/kg or $1647. This was followed up in November with sale toppers averaging 353kg and returning 460c/kg or $1623.

They are not afraid to invest in top end bulls for rapid genetic gain, paying the second top price of $29,000 for Jamar Van Damme V140, one of a pair to average $20,500 at the 2025 Jamar stud sale.

The couple run 270 Santa/Shorthorn breeders in conjunction with a summer and winter cropping enterprise in a 625mm rainfall zone across the 1821ha property, Fermanagh.

Mr Cross is pleased with the fertility of the F1 female with consistent conception rates of over 95 percent.

He has been impressed with the Santa bulls’ longevity, lowering the cost per calf. Bulls are selected on temperament, structural soundness, birthweight and calving ease.

“We retain the F1 heifer portion, and a lot of our cattle are predominantly Santa, so we continue to cross to retain the hybrid vigour. Heifers are joined to calve as two-year-olds,” he said.

Calves are yard weaned at 280-300kg liveweight and then turned onto fresh buffel, butterfly pea and native pasture with a program of acclimation to ensure the cattle can readily adjust to a feedlot environment.

“More people are waking up to Santas with the cattle repeatedly bringing high prices at the store sales – they are consistently performing for the buyers, whether that is feedlot or growing them out to bullocks. They are hardier than the Euro breeds yet still put in the weight for age,” Mr Cross said.

Breed of choice

Santa Gertrudis Australia General Manager Brad Cooper said the breed’s consistency was also reflected in longer-term investment trends.

“The data from the past five years shows that Santa Gertrudis remains a stable and consistent breed of choice for seedstock producers and commercial operators alike,” Mr Cooper said.

“One of the clearest indicators of ongoing interest is the steady rise in registered Santa Gertrudis females, which have increased by nearly 17pc since 2020.”

While commercial herd data isn’t directly tracked by the Association, he points to average bull sale prices as a reliable market signal.

“The 2024–25 year saw Santa Gertrudis bulls sell to a higher average than any other non-Wagyu breed, and the results from 2025 are extremely positive.

“This suggests the breed continues to perform where it counts — in commercial herds and at sale time when buyers are investing in their future and generational performance.

“With consistent clearance rates, strong sale averages, and enduring price premiums, Santa Gertrudis cattle remain a dependable choice for producers seeking performance and market confidence.”

Santa weaners on Arrabury Pastoral Co’s aggregation of three properties near Birdsville and Bedourie.

Data from AuctionsPlus further supports the breed’s strong market presence. In 2024, Santa Gertrudis achieved the highest clearance rate of any breed on the platform, with 89pc of listed cattle securing buyers. NSW-listed lots were particularly sought after, averaging $286/head over reserve, the highest of any breed in any state.

Over the past five years, Santa Gertrudis cattle have averaged an 84pc clearance rate on AuctionsPlus, outperforming the all-breeds average of 77.28pc. This trend has held across most quarters, with Santa Gertrudis consistently clearing at higher rates than other breeds, regardless of location.

In terms of pricing, the breed continues to show strength. Since 2019, both purebred and crossbred Santa Gertrudis lots have consistently attracted a cents-per-kilo dressed weight premium over the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI).

Even during the market correction of 2023, Santa lines maintained their premium, which has widened again in recent quarters.

According to Hugh Courts of AuctionsPlus, this performance is not a seasonal anomaly, but a reflection of sustained buyer confidence.

“Quarter after quarter, buyers have shown up and bid confidently on Santa lines. Even in softer markets, buyers are still willing to pay more for genetics they trust,” he said.