BarnettAngus has engaged Dr. Richard Fry’s Speed Breed company in an R&D project to speed-up genetic gain of superior animals using new IVF technology being developed at the Werribee laboratory in Victoria.

Mr. Mark Barnett of BarnettAngus, Westbury, Tasmania said “I am excited about how bovine reproduction technologies using in-vitro fertilisation can rapidly replicate superior animal genetics while supporting the health of the donor females.“

A cycling accident and an impulse purchase have led Mark Barnett back to farming and to genetics innovation that could revolutionise how consumers view Angus beef.

Mark grew up on a farm near Launceston and saw how his father John led the Angus society through the significant change from small to high-performance cattle.

Now Mark hopes to make a similar impact with BarnettAngus and RedEarthGenetics, a boutique and niche operation with a focus on producing elite carcasses.

A yearling heifer, Lot 25, Ayrvale Queanbeyan Q78, topped the unjoined maiden heifers on offer selling for $11,000 to Mark Barnett, Barnett Angus, Westbury, Tasmania.

Hotly contested the Lot 25 heifer's grand dam B32 was the dam of sire Ayrvale Bartel E7 and presented in the top one percent for calving ease, marbling, and heavy grain indexes.