Resilience, innovation and passion
JT Angus was founded on resilience, innovation, and a passion for superior Angus genetics.
Josh Clift, founder
After founder Josh Clift faced a life-changing injury, a seed was planted by Will Caldwell, sharing his insight into the seedstock business. Josh reimagined his future in cattle breeding, establishing Clift Angus in 2017.
Clift Angus quickly grew into JT Angus, leveraging embryo transfer (ET) to expand the herd. Key partnerships and premium genetics, including Millah Murrah sires, embryos and breeders, laid the foundation for a high-performance Millah Murrah-based Angus program. Fifty embryos and four donor cows from Premier Angus were added to the program, diversifying the genetics and giving the breeding herd more power.
JT Angus continues to refine its signature type, offering proven quality female lines and consistent, sound, high-performing bulls, supplying bulls and females to leading operations across Eastern Australia.
Milestones
- 2017
JT Angus established by the Clift family with the purchase of four donor cows at the 2017 Millah Murrah female sale
- 2018
Purchased six donors from Witherswood Angus
- 2020
50 embryos and 4 donor cows added from Premier Angus
- Sires
Top-priced Millah Murrah sires Quixote ($60,000), Rembrandt R48 ($240,000) and Sugar Ray S76 ($160,000)
- Today
200 registered females and 70+ bulls a year
Our focus is on females, knowing that the better the females we breed, the better the bulls that follow.
Breeding philosophy
- 01
Maternal focus
From the start, our focus has been on females. We are constantly looking to improve female herd fertility and constitution. We have based this on type, not paper figures. We are firm believers that the better the females we produce, the better the bulls that will follow.
- 02
Performance and adaptability
JT cattle respond to the ever-changing seasons and cattle environments to convert the available feed and perform positively. Everything is structurally assessed and scored annually here at JT Angus.
- 03
Temperament and docility
This is a significant focus of the program here at JT Angus and something we are very proud of. All cattle are worked by horses, dogs and bikes, but also importantly by founder Josh Clift in the yards. From cows and calves to two-year-old bulls, Josh is heavily involved in all drafting and work on the ground in the wheelchair. This way he is aware and can account for every single beast in the JT Angus herd.
The JT Angus team
Our team is more like a family. The friendship, laughs and times we have together, on and off the job, create the culture we have here at JT Angus.
On the ground
- James Keyte“Keytey”0428 420 575
- Chris Hopkins“Hoppy”0418 648 315
- Simon Deery“Boss”
The engine room that keeps JT Angus running. Their dedication and cattlemanship let us breed cattle with such good temperament, docility and class.
Partners in the program
- Stuart GeardHolbrook Breeders
Guidance through our breeding and flushing journey with sire selection, and all of our flushing and ET programs. Fred has reared our ET calves each year.
- Caitlin WarnerAustralian Premier Genetics
AI programs, pregnancy testing, semen collection and semen testing.
- Max and Damien SotterRepro Australia
Max does our freeze branding, AI programs and pregnancy testing. Damien does the annual structural assessment and classing of the herd.
- Bill Cornell and Fletch KellyABS Global
Through Bill we secured Millah Murrah Quixote Q96 and Rembrandt R48. Our semen sales now go through Fletch, who we continue to work with.
- Trevor AllanHolbrook
Started our original recipient program in 2018, delivering hundreds of ET calves since.
Interested in JT Angus genetics?