My dad started off with Brafords in about 1968. He had a Poll Hereford herd and had lots of eye cancer,so needed some breed to counteract that problem. There were not many decent quality Brahmans about at the time so that breed wasn't really an option. Dad was a bit hesitant to make such a drastic move away from the stable Hereford colour. So he purchased a low Brahman content Braford bull. He went from strength to strength after that and never purchased another Poll Hereford. About ten years after buying his first Braford he then ventured into red Brahman and Sahiwal,to establish a full red herd. He had not enough Brahman content using a derived breed such as Braford. He lived in a subtropical area with buffalo fly,ticks and hot weather. The last ten years before his death he started using Droughtmaster to further consolidate his love for a dark red herd.I now have these cattle on my property and will continue to use a South Devon or a red Brahman over them. The Braford breed here in Australia was established by the Rea family near Rockhampton. They are still very popular. The breeders have managed to maintain a decent amount of Brahman content. Many of the Brafords are 5/8 Brahman 3/8 Hereford. There would not have been any Hereford used in any Brafords in this country for 30 years probably. Colour has always been paramount in breeders selection in this country,which does seem to set it apart from some of the US cattle that are called Brafords. You would seldom ever see a brindle animal called a Braford in this country.
Thats my 2 cents worth.
Colin
