From Clicks to Cattle Gains: How FutureBeef Boosted Boondock’s Performance

Joe Hennessy, along with his wife and in-laws, manages Boondock, a 8900-hectare property near St George running about 700 cross bred cows and 4000 goats. The landscape features poplar box with a mulga understory and pockets of brigalow scrub. Much of the country has been developed and seeded with Buffel grass by the previous owners.

Joe says one of the most valuable resources he’s come across on the FutureBeef website was the article Improving Beef Business Performance with Phosphorus Supplementation. It reinforced the economic value of year-round phosphorus supplementation—something they’ve now adopted using a dry lick, which is delivering noticeable benefits across their herd.

Two other helpful resources were the videos Pregnancy Testing for Forward Planning and Foetal ageing for Targeting Breeder Management. Joe said the preg-testing video confirmed they were on the right track, with their pregnancy test rates improving by 5% from 2023 to 2024. Looking ahead, they plan to incorporate foetal ageing into their management strategy.

“The real benefit will be more even groups at branding and weaning, which helps with herd management and marketing,” Joe said. “It will also help us identify and retain the most fertile cows—those that cycle and fall pregnant early—and cull the later breeders.”

By tapping into FutureBeef’s practical, research-based content, Joe and his family are making confident, informed decisions that are improving the performance and efficiency of their beef operation.