An easy to manage profitable herd =  Our breeding principle for forty years.

The selection for breeding cattle here relies on performance but it must also be backed up with pedigree and conformation. We have learned this is the only way to ensure the important requirement of consistency.

There has been a large Angus population around Caramut, long being recognised as good doing cattle on grass and under diverse conditions. Local farmers gave us an appreciation of the capacity of the breed and were the obvious choice when establishing our commercial herd in the 1970s. We purchased cattle from Barwidgee and our commercial herd are still close descendants of those cattle.

This is primarily a commercial herd but in 2004 we establish the Alto Stud to breed registered animals of the traditional type for ourselves and increasingly for breeders also looking to that easy calving, more moderate, square type of animal. Females were purchased from the Indiambah stud, again all descendants of Mrs Gwen Kelly's well known Barwidgee Angus Stud.  The Myola, Twinkle, Thelma and Haidee families.  

Seeking genetics that would give us the best opportunity to maintain both structural correctness, easy calving, performance and top quality beef, we again returned to Scotland and in 2009 and 2010 we visited the Dunlouise Native Scottish Herd at Forfar, Angus, Scotland.

This herd exhibits an Angus quality and structural correctness too often forgotten.

Cattle of moderate height, well fleshed and very deep-bodied, easily calving spirited calves that develop quickly. 

A reminder of why, around the world this type of Angus proved their capacity to be prime beef producers from grass, and reassuring us that those original families, in their purest form, have a contribution to make in the Angus world.

Alto first used Dunlouise Native sires in the 2010 AI program. Impressed with their fertility, very easy calving, and character of the calves we are increasing their role in our herd. 

March 2012 Alto welcomed eleven 'Native' Scottish Angus embryo calves from Dunlouise cows of the Erica and Cherry Blossom families.

Native Scottish Angus are those Angus with only Scottish ancestors.

They do not contain influence from any other Angus genetics bred elsewhere in the world. 

Their genes are true to the Angus type and with the traditional traits that we value:

Many cattle in this herd are 'old genetics' and all are tested or presumed free of:  AM, CA & NH 

For 40 years -  an easy to manage profitable herd