Palgrove Charolais, Warwick, Queensland, is the Beef Improvement Association's 2002 National Seedstock Producer of the Year. David and Prue Bondfield have operated the seedstock business for 27 years. The stud herd now comprises more than 1000 breeders. Palgrove is one of Australia's original Charolais studs, with first-cross calves born in 1970 upgraded from Shorthorn and Brahman females. The Bondfields were state winners for Queensland before winning the over-all title. "We respected the BIA's ability to formulate guidelines and questions, which challenged our mode of operation," Prue Bondfield says. "As well as benchmarking against other seedstock enterprises, the competition provided a comprehensive inward look at our business to see where ourprogram can be improved in terms of production, client servicing, breeding objectives and our contribution to the beef industry."
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