WEBVTT - How a consistent improvement philosophy contributes to this farm and stud’s success 0:00:00.270 --> 0:00:09.510 This is Seeds for Success, a show where we have 0:00:09.510 --> 0:00:12.480 a good yarn about Ag life with producers who are 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:15.240 having a go. On the show, you'll hear from farmers 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:18.420 in New South Wales who are out there battling the elements, 0:00:18.570 --> 0:00:22.380 making tough calls, and getting the job done. You'll get 0:00:22.380 --> 0:00:24.690 a laugh out of some of their stories and also 0:00:24.690 --> 0:00:27.450 pick up some know- how along the way. I'm your 0:00:27.450 --> 0:00:35.040 host Neroli Brennan. Today, we are chatting with Annie Scott. 0:00:35.550 --> 0:00:39.653 Annie runs her family's 2, 300 hectare property and angus 0:00:39.653 --> 0:00:43.920 stud on Karoo between Bathurst and Lithgow. Annie took over 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:47.850 management from her parents in 2008 and formed a partnership 0:00:47.850 --> 0:00:52.470 with her father in 2018. In this episode, Annie explains 0:00:52.470 --> 0:00:57.210 that their breeding focus is consistent, never- ending improvement with 0:00:57.210 --> 0:01:02.130 extensive data collection to produce higher quality animals. Annie also 0:01:02.130 --> 0:01:06.360 shares that pasture management is their top priority, where grass 0:01:06.420 --> 0:01:10.350 is king, and their grass manager, Gareth, or GM for short, 0:01:10.709 --> 0:01:15.360 oversees diverse pasture mixes and uses paddock- specific soil testing 0:01:15.450 --> 0:01:20.819 for targeted fertilization rather than broad applications. We also hear 0:01:20.970 --> 0:01:24.209 how shifting their calving later in the season to suit 0:01:24.209 --> 0:01:29.610 their high- altitude climate between 700 and 1100 meters where grass doesn't 0:01:29.610 --> 0:01:33.630 grow for months, and following a structured annual calendar for 0:01:33.630 --> 0:01:38.369 winter feed planning, weaning, pregnancy testing, and bull sales has 0:01:38.370 --> 0:01:42.510 been one of their keys to success. Local Land Services 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:46.170 Senior Ag Advisor, Lauren Costin, caught up with Annie at 0:01:46.170 --> 0:01:49.380 home on Karoo to bring you part one of their two- 0:01:49.380 --> 0:01:50.040 part chat. 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:57.900 Hey listeners, today I'm with Annie Scott at Karoo at 0:01:57.900 --> 0:02:01.710 Meadow Flat New South Wales. We're about halfway between Bathurst 0:02:01.710 --> 0:02:05.580 and Lithgow. And welcome to the Seeds for Success podcast, Annie. 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:06.480 Thank you. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:08.790 Can you start off by giving us a little bit 0:02:08.790 --> 0:02:11.100 of an overview of your property here? 0:02:11.460 --> 0:02:14.490 Firstly, thanks for having me. It's a great privilege that 0:02:14.490 --> 0:02:18.030 you want to showcase Karoo today. Just a bit about us, 0:02:18.030 --> 0:02:23.130 I guess. Karoo is a property of about 2, 300 hectares. 0:02:23.370 --> 0:02:27.480 That's just an approximate estimate. Now, enterprise mix, well, most 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.269 people just think we have Angus cattle, but we divide 0:02:30.270 --> 0:02:34.110 that into two enterprises, the stud and the commercial herd. 0:02:34.620 --> 0:02:37.859 And we also have on the side a cropping enterprise, 0:02:37.860 --> 0:02:41.579 which is more the crops that we grow for grazing only. 0:02:42.180 --> 0:02:46.470 With us, succession started later in my dad's life, and 0:02:46.500 --> 0:02:50.250 I've been the business manager of Karoo since 2008 and 0:02:50.250 --> 0:02:56.460 progressively moved on to a formal partnership that started in 2018, 0:02:56.639 --> 0:03:01.320 and that was between John and myself. This, I guess, 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:05.400 enabled us to make more decisions in regard to the 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:08.940 management of the farm's long- term projects and the breeding 0:03:08.940 --> 0:03:11.220 decisions in our stud herd then started to be made 0:03:11.220 --> 0:03:13.980 by myself in conjunction always with John, but I guess 0:03:13.980 --> 0:03:17.040 I took a more managerial role. So I guess I 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:20.190 was doing that, to an extent, beforehand, but I guess 0:03:20.190 --> 0:03:23.430 it's just made it all for more the partnership in 2018. 0:03:23.610 --> 0:03:24.870 So John's your father? 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:27.960 John passed away late last year, so things are a 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:31.350 bit different around Karoo now. So that was how the 0:03:31.350 --> 0:03:35.250 business structure was. So the partnership at the moment is 0:03:35.250 --> 0:03:39.270 still continuing along as normal. That business structure will change 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.990 over time again to then we'll become directors of the 0:03:42.990 --> 0:03:46.470 company and so forth and move on from there. We 0:03:46.470 --> 0:03:51.120 have two permanent employees. We also have my husband, who 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:54.420 has his own earth moving business, but he's also involved 0:03:54.450 --> 0:03:58.350 in the daily operations of Karoo. Also, my sister is 0:03:58.350 --> 0:04:01.770 becoming an integral part of the business, especially when we 0:04:01.770 --> 0:04:03.990 have events on. She lives in Victoria, but she comes 0:04:03.990 --> 0:04:06.330 up fairly often and helps me when I have big 0:04:06.330 --> 0:04:10.230 events on or we're just busy. She's a great asset 0:04:10.350 --> 0:04:13.590 to have. She's really important to the Karoo business. And 0:04:13.590 --> 0:04:16.620 also one of my brothers is our maintenance manager and 0:04:16.620 --> 0:04:20.310 does our mechanical repairs. We also have our son who 0:04:20.310 --> 0:04:24.180 works off- farm for a rural contractor, which we engage 0:04:24.180 --> 0:04:26.610 to do our fencing and yard work and when we 0:04:26.610 --> 0:04:30.419 have busy times. He does work on farm, but through 0:04:30.420 --> 0:04:33.510 the rural contractor. When we have other contractors that come 0:04:33.510 --> 0:04:36.570 in to fulfill in the gaps that are specialized in 0:04:36.570 --> 0:04:40.500 their field. For example, we have a vet consultant, Hannah, 0:04:40.500 --> 0:04:43.620 from Emerge Ag, who sets out all our animal health 0:04:43.620 --> 0:04:48.330 program for the year. We're situated, like you said, halfway 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:52.680 between Bathurst and Lithgow. Our altitude is about 1100 meters 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:55.110 at the front of the farm, but does fall away 0:04:55.140 --> 0:04:59.339 quite significantly down to about 700 meters at the back 0:04:59.339 --> 0:05:03.570 of the farm. Our soil types are basalt to granite soils. 0:05:03.570 --> 0:05:06.600 Basalt up the front in the higher production country and 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.080 granite soils down the back, which makes it really good 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.470 to manage. Because then we have, in the different seasons, 0:05:13.470 --> 0:05:16.740 we can move the cattle around to where the pastures 0:05:16.770 --> 0:05:19.529 are best. And that leads us onto the pastures. We 0:05:19.529 --> 0:05:23.850 have a huge emphasis on our grass. Our established pastures 0:05:23.850 --> 0:05:29.790 include phalaris, clovers, fescue, and cocksfoot, primarily. In our pastures 0:05:29.790 --> 0:05:32.130 that we do now, all those are included, but we 0:05:32.130 --> 0:05:38.370 also include chicory and ryegrass. Livestock, we have 300 stud cows 0:05:38.970 --> 0:05:43.380 and about 700 commercial cows, as well as running 120 0:05:43.380 --> 0:05:46.860 bulls and about 250 yearling heifers and a few other 0:05:46.860 --> 0:05:50.010 bits and pieces that we run here. We don't trade 0:05:50.010 --> 0:05:53.130 cattle. We are solely a self- replacing herd. 0:05:53.430 --> 0:05:55.980 So if you want to take it back a little bit further, 0:05:56.190 --> 0:05:58.920 you did cover a bit about the family business and 0:05:59.670 --> 0:06:02.400 how it's structured now. Do you want to talk about how 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:04.529 it started out and I guess how did you get 0:06:04.529 --> 0:06:05.160 to this point? 0:06:05.430 --> 0:06:09.120 So our family business is really important to us, and 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:12.750 family is really important to our business. So I guess 0:06:12.750 --> 0:06:16.440 it started out is my dad and mum started this 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:21.690 business in 1989, started at Karoo. Prior to that, they 0:06:21.690 --> 0:06:26.430 were dairy farmers. And so that's the history of it 0:06:26.430 --> 0:06:30.810 in the sense of how it started out. They were both very successful in their business. 0:06:30.810 --> 0:06:34.350 And most successful people have come from a tougher background, 0:06:34.350 --> 0:06:37.710 and that definitely applies to my father. He was great 0:06:37.950 --> 0:06:42.150 at mentoring me, and I guess, showing the ropes of 0:06:42.150 --> 0:06:45.510 how a business works and operates, but he did come 0:06:45.510 --> 0:06:48.419 from a tougher background, and he definitely taught us how 0:06:48.420 --> 0:06:51.870 to work, so that's a big thing for us. How 0:06:51.930 --> 0:06:54.990 has it evolved to what it is now? And like 0:06:54.990 --> 0:06:58.229 I said, that's purely through hard work. And I also go 0:06:58.230 --> 0:07:01.020 by the mantra, the level of effort that you tolerate from 0:07:01.020 --> 0:07:05.310 yourself will define your life, which puts you in the 0:07:05.310 --> 0:07:09.990 direction of making those one percenters that keeps you successful 0:07:09.990 --> 0:07:14.400 and profitable. So even though I say hard work is important, 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:16.680 you also got to use a little bit of your 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:22.470 knowledge and that outside consultancy work to be successful. And 0:07:22.470 --> 0:07:25.470 I think that's how our business has evolved. Because it's a team effort, 0:07:25.470 --> 0:07:28.980 and it's not just our primary workers, it's the people 0:07:28.980 --> 0:07:32.070 around us as well that make us the business that we 0:07:32.070 --> 0:07:36.900 are today. And I think it was through necessity that 0:07:36.900 --> 0:07:40.350 as a successful business, we need to formalize what we 0:07:40.350 --> 0:07:42.750 were doing and to get that structure in place to 0:07:42.750 --> 0:07:46.020 cement the direction in which we wanted to head. And that's, again, 0:07:46.020 --> 0:07:48.660 back to the partnership and the agreement, the formal agreement 0:07:48.660 --> 0:07:52.530 that we have here where Karoo is owned by my 0:07:52.530 --> 0:07:57.840 family company and then the partnership leases Karoo off that company. 0:07:57.900 --> 0:08:00.570 So even though it's a family business, you're running it 0:08:00.570 --> 0:08:01.380 as a business- 0:08:01.380 --> 0:08:01.381 Correct. 0:08:01.381 --> 0:08:02.310 ... structure. 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:02.670 It's correct. 0:08:02.820 --> 0:08:06.390 And everyone has their place and knows what's going on 0:08:06.420 --> 0:08:07.380 kind of thing, formally. 0:08:07.380 --> 0:08:13.020 Correct. Yep, yep. Formally, it's formalized that way. And like I said, previously, 0:08:13.020 --> 0:08:17.280 we have two permanent staff and involve contractors as needed. 0:08:17.820 --> 0:08:20.970 And really another important point that, I guess, I want 0:08:20.970 --> 0:08:23.489 to put out to make our business, the history and 0:08:23.490 --> 0:08:27.030 how it's involved, no one is successful on their own. 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.180 It takes a team and it is also important to 0:08:30.180 --> 0:08:34.709 learn from your low points. The business constantly presents new 0:08:34.710 --> 0:08:37.589 challenges and opportunities, and I guess we'll talk about those 0:08:37.590 --> 0:08:40.740 a bit later on, and new ways to create value. 0:08:41.429 --> 0:08:45.270 And no one succeeds alone. And I love the saying 0:08:45.270 --> 0:08:47.730 that you either win or you learn, and that's really 0:08:47.730 --> 0:08:50.730 important to us. The wins we take and give ourselves 0:08:50.730 --> 0:08:53.970 a pat on the back, but those businesses and structures 0:08:53.970 --> 0:08:56.850 that we put in place that probably didn't quite hit 0:08:56.850 --> 0:09:00.570 the target, we learned from those. So that's important to us. 0:09:00.660 --> 0:09:04.710 I've been on site here at Karoo a couple of times 0:09:04.710 --> 0:09:08.699 and we've had some talks and you've definitely pivoted to 0:09:08.700 --> 0:09:11.400 your consultants and your people that you use in your 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:15.510 businesses as critical and you point to them for the 0:09:15.510 --> 0:09:18.571 technical questions and things like that. I think that's a- 0:09:18.571 --> 0:09:21.179 Correct, correct. They're really important to our business. It is 0:09:21.179 --> 0:09:24.660 really a team effort. While it's a family business, those 0:09:24.660 --> 0:09:29.280 consultants we still consider as family and an integral part 0:09:29.340 --> 0:09:31.890 of our success. They really are. 0:09:32.070 --> 0:09:34.800 We might pivot a little bit and go into the 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:38.400 operational side of things, into the nitty- gritty, and we 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:42.300 might talk about livestock. So I'm just going to throw 0:09:42.300 --> 0:09:47.970 some things out there and see how we go. Around, I guess, your 0:09:47.970 --> 0:09:51.990 breeding objectives, and is that a core thing in your business 0:09:51.990 --> 0:09:55.469 that you look at or is it secondary or how 0:09:55.470 --> 0:09:55.800 does it fit in? 0:09:55.800 --> 0:10:00.240 Ah no, the breeding objectives are probably one of our main objectives, 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:05.490 and our main mantra that we go by is consistent, never- 0:10:05.490 --> 0:10:09.120 ending improvement. We just like to be consistent but improve 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:12.270 as we go along. We're not great risk- takers, I 0:10:12.270 --> 0:10:17.699 have to say that. But we do try and improve year- on- 0:10:17.700 --> 0:10:21.390 year on what we're breeding. So basically an animal, what 0:10:21.390 --> 0:10:23.700 we want, is an animal that can target a number 0:10:23.700 --> 0:10:26.760 of markets because our clients are not, some targeting the 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:30.329 market that we are. There's obviously a number of markets out there 0:10:30.330 --> 0:10:33.540 that our clients target. That's especially with the bulls that 0:10:33.540 --> 0:10:36.900 we offer. And we want an animal that is fertile 0:10:36.900 --> 0:10:40.709 and functional. And also high growth is probably our specialty 0:10:40.710 --> 0:10:42.780 as we need to get our commercial weaners off at 0:10:42.780 --> 0:10:46.020 eight months. And we put them into The Blue Ribbon 0:10:46.020 --> 0:10:49.380 Weaner sale at Carcoar each year. And we were lucky enough this 0:10:49.500 --> 0:10:53.010 year to win Best Presented Pen of Steers, and that 0:10:53.010 --> 0:10:57.540 pen of 94 steers averaged around 370 kilos off their mother, 0:10:57.540 --> 0:11:00.270 so we're very happy with those. And I think that 0:11:00.270 --> 0:11:03.510 was a great award to win. And, I guess, justifies 0:11:03.870 --> 0:11:06.059 what we're doing back here on farm. 0:11:06.210 --> 0:11:09.240 So you obviously focus on both sides of the business, 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.790 like the stud side, but then your commercial side's really 0:11:11.790 --> 0:11:12.690 important to- 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:15.630 The commercial side is our bread and butter, and that's where, 0:11:15.630 --> 0:11:20.640 I guess, most of the decisions are made to help 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:24.059 that commercial herd improve each year. And it takes up 0:11:24.179 --> 0:11:27.179 the majority of our hectares, really. It's our bread and butter. 0:11:27.540 --> 0:11:31.050 And the stud operation, in terms of breeding objectives, our 0:11:31.050 --> 0:11:33.840 main objectives is to produce that bull that we can 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:37.110 sell at two years old. Some we do sell. They're 0:11:37.110 --> 0:11:39.929 about 20 bulls as yearlings, but the majority of our 0:11:39.929 --> 0:11:43.530 sale bulls are rising two- year- olds. And with those, it is a ... 0:11:45.210 --> 0:11:48.240 to get that bull that's got the phenotype. And also if 0:11:48.300 --> 0:11:50.910 you want to get into the breeding objectives of numbers, 0:11:51.300 --> 0:11:55.320 we've got to have good calving ease, fertile growth, carcass 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:59.760 traits and including an injection, hopefully, of high IMF in 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:01.980 those bulls to get out into commercial herds. 0:12:02.100 --> 0:12:04.650 So what are the main strategies for meeting those goals? 0:12:04.650 --> 0:12:06.959 Do you collect a lot of data in your business? 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:09.630 We collect heaps of data. So the data we collect, well, 0:12:09.630 --> 0:12:11.790 first start is birth weight. When we tag the calves, 0:12:11.790 --> 0:12:17.880 this is in the stud herd. We collect birth weight, 200, 400, and 600- day weights. 0:12:18.270 --> 0:12:23.760 We scan our cattle for EMA, fat, and IMF. We 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:29.280 do docility. We also do scrotal measurements, and we also 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:33.030 do genomics on all our stud cattle now as well. 0:12:33.030 --> 0:12:37.170 So we pump as much raw data into the system 0:12:37.170 --> 0:12:39.809 as we can so we can get the most reliable 0:12:39.809 --> 0:12:44.280 EBVs back from TACE. And I guess the strategy for 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:48.150 meeting those goals is another saying that I like to say is well 0:12:48.150 --> 0:12:51.120 done is better than well said. So basically don't talk 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:53.880 about it, just do it. And that's a mantra of ours, 0:12:54.030 --> 0:12:57.780 just get in and do it and get the job done, just make things happen. 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:01.109 But in saying that, I also like to be a learner, and you 0:13:01.110 --> 0:13:03.689 can never lose if you take a useful lesson away 0:13:03.690 --> 0:13:07.170 from a situation and that leads to a practice change. 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.530 So I guess while we like to do those things, 0:13:10.530 --> 0:13:13.590 if something comes along that is another tool that we 0:13:13.590 --> 0:13:17.520 could use in our toolbox to improve our breeding objectives, 0:13:18.090 --> 0:13:21.450 we're aligned to that too. We're always open to new things. 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:23.820 Are you finding that a lot of your clients are 0:13:23.820 --> 0:13:27.089 asking for that data and they're hungry for that or 0:13:27.090 --> 0:13:29.550 do they still rely on property and having a look? 0:13:29.850 --> 0:13:32.130 It's still on property, but the data that you can 0:13:32.130 --> 0:13:35.040 provide for them, you see them come with their catalogs 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:37.800 and their catalogs are highlighted in all different colors, and 0:13:37.860 --> 0:13:40.679 red pen and black pen everywhere. The other thing that 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.650 we do, also do is structural assessment. We get someone 0:13:43.650 --> 0:13:47.670 into structurally assess our sale bulls. So basically what we're 0:13:47.670 --> 0:13:50.640 trying to do is we're trying to guarantee our product to the best that we 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:54.390 can before it leaves the gate so that leaves us 0:13:54.630 --> 0:13:57.600 less open to problems down the track. I'm not saying 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:02.189 we're perfect, but I think what we're doing is probably 0:14:02.190 --> 0:14:04.559 what makes us as successful as what we are. 0:14:04.860 --> 0:14:08.130 And I guess following on from that, then, marketing. Like, hey, 0:14:08.130 --> 0:14:11.250 going in that space and what's your strategies there? 0:14:11.370 --> 0:14:14.100 So marketing's a hard one for us. I'm not one 0:14:14.100 --> 0:14:18.959 to blow our own trumpet, so I have another person 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:22.590 that's on our team come in and do that, and 0:14:22.650 --> 0:14:25.230 her name is Fee, and she's from Hammer and Fields, 0:14:25.530 --> 0:14:27.840 and she's just a bomb at doing our socials. She 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:32.520 started our socials probably around this time last year, and 0:14:32.580 --> 0:14:37.320 we have nearly tripled our audience in that space, and 0:14:37.380 --> 0:14:41.310 we get favorable comments on all our socials about how 0:14:41.310 --> 0:14:45.210 well professionally it is presented and the content of it. 0:14:45.570 --> 0:14:48.450 So Fee comes here probably once a month, strolls around, 0:14:48.510 --> 0:14:51.270 takes her content that she needs to for that day, 0:14:51.570 --> 0:14:54.360 or if we're doing something in the yards or something 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:56.280 that's a bit left of center, I'll send her a 0:14:56.280 --> 0:14:58.860 few photos of what we're doing for the day. She's 0:14:58.860 --> 0:15:01.800 always at me for stuff for behind the scenes to do, 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:04.470 so we do that. It's just marketing I think has 0:15:04.470 --> 0:15:08.730 become a very important tool to get a positive message 0:15:08.730 --> 0:15:11.730 out to the wider industry and to those that are 0:15:11.730 --> 0:15:14.880 interested in our industry in the Ag space. So she 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:17.880 does that for us. She's exceptional at what she does. 0:15:18.390 --> 0:15:21.630 And this, again, goes to what I was saying before, 0:15:21.630 --> 0:15:25.050 it takes a team to succeed. We also engage Brett 0:15:25.050 --> 0:15:28.710 from Signature Ag Marketing to do our print media for 0:15:28.710 --> 0:15:31.170 our upcoming bull sale. So the stuff at the Land, 0:15:31.170 --> 0:15:35.490 Beef Central, all that, Brett organizes our space in that 0:15:35.700 --> 0:15:38.100 and does our ads for us for that as well. 0:15:38.100 --> 0:15:41.430 So between those two people, that's our marketing. In the 0:15:41.430 --> 0:15:44.190 sense of where we target, well, we try and target 0:15:44.190 --> 0:15:48.360 our commercial cattle and our steers and our heifers, they 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:51.960 pretty much will speak for themselves. They are highly sought after, 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:55.020 so not real hard to sell there. And then we 0:15:55.050 --> 0:15:58.290 target with our bulls. We primarily sell our bulls to 0:15:58.290 --> 0:16:02.400 a local area, probably within a 200 or 300 kilometer radius. But 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.010 in saying that, I've sold bulls to every state and 0:16:05.010 --> 0:16:09.450 territory except for the Northern Territory in Australia. So we're 0:16:09.450 --> 0:16:12.600 fairly well known throughout the industry, and our cattle pretty 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:14.880 much will speak for ourselves. I guess that's my marketing, 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:18.690 which I've had the little blinkers on for that. And 0:16:18.690 --> 0:16:21.270 that's when Fee came in last year and said, " I 0:16:21.270 --> 0:16:23.070 think you need to wake up and you need to 0:16:23.070 --> 0:16:24.750 get out there and promote yourself a bit more," which 0:16:24.750 --> 0:16:25.860 is doing a great job of. 0:16:26.130 --> 0:16:30.720 So back into the nitty- gritty. Calendar of operations, what's your 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:32.220 cycle like annually? 0:16:32.460 --> 0:16:34.650 So there's always something going on. There's never a dull 0:16:34.650 --> 0:16:38.730 day at Karoo's. But I guess as a summary, February is busy 0:16:38.730 --> 0:16:41.160 with Gareth planning our winter feed. 0:16:41.310 --> 0:16:42.870 So here's your pastures man. 0:16:42.900 --> 0:16:44.730 Yeah, he's our pastures man. We talk about him a 0:16:44.730 --> 0:16:48.030 bit later on, get onto pastures, but he's our grass manager. 0:16:48.450 --> 0:16:50.760 He's our GM, we call him. He's our grass manager. 0:16:51.150 --> 0:16:54.030 So February is busy with him planning our winter feed. 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.460 Then we move on to March, I guess, is our 0:16:56.460 --> 0:16:59.100 weaning and our sale of our commercial steers and our 0:16:59.100 --> 0:17:02.430 excess females. The excess females that we sell are usually 0:17:02.430 --> 0:17:05.520 those that are under 300 kilos. That's our first process 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.100 of seeing which heifers we keep and which heifers we 0:17:08.100 --> 0:17:10.649 sell in the commercial herd. That's our first indicator. So if 0:17:10.710 --> 0:17:14.220 they're under three kilos, they go at weaning time. And 0:17:14.220 --> 0:17:18.570 then April is preg testing. June is busy with AI 0:17:18.570 --> 0:17:23.939 of our autumn stud cows and heifers. Also scanning of our 0:17:23.940 --> 0:17:27.629 sale bulls. Semen testing of our sale bulls is in June as well. July, I 0:17:27.630 --> 0:17:31.170 guess we start calving, both the stud and commercial herd. 0:17:31.530 --> 0:17:34.050 August is bull sale month, so that's a really, really 0:17:34.050 --> 0:17:36.240 big month for us to get ready for the bull sale. 0:17:36.869 --> 0:17:40.080 In our commercial herd, in September, the bulls go out. 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:44.219 In October, we start spraying out paddocks that will be 0:17:44.220 --> 0:17:48.450 cropped the following year and breeding our stud cattle. November 0:17:48.450 --> 0:17:54.150 is weaning the autumn stud calves. And, I guess, that's a quick overview, 0:17:54.150 --> 0:17:56.820 but we've always got something going on. 0:17:57.150 --> 0:18:00.149 How are you finding this season this year where, what, 0:18:00.150 --> 0:18:02.609 are we middle of May now, it looks like there's 0:18:02.609 --> 0:18:04.199 a bit of feed around at the moment. 0:18:04.199 --> 0:18:06.330 Yeah, it's not too bad. It's probably getting a bit too 0:18:06.330 --> 0:18:09.180 cold for us to grow any grass. But our crops, 0:18:09.180 --> 0:18:11.820 we were lucky enough with Gareth and the way he managed it 0:18:11.910 --> 0:18:15.060 that we've got all our young stock on crop at 0:18:15.060 --> 0:18:18.180 the minute, whether that be wheat. We've got paddocks of wheat, 0:18:18.300 --> 0:18:22.320 grazing wheat, and the rest is oats and ryegrass. So 0:18:22.350 --> 0:18:24.480 we're lucky that way that the young cattle and bulls 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:28.050 are on crop at the minute, so they're looking really well. Commercial 0:18:28.050 --> 0:18:30.330 cattle are just dry at the minute, so they're out in the 0:18:30.330 --> 0:18:33.960 bush and feeding for themselves. And it'll just gets a 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:36.150 bit tricky now this time of the year to start 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:40.139 managing our autumn calving cows, which is only a portion 0:18:40.140 --> 0:18:42.390 of our stud herd. We only calve in the autumn. 0:18:42.810 --> 0:18:45.060 Just gets a bit tricky managing them with the lack 0:18:45.060 --> 0:18:47.700 of growth in the grass and a few issues with 0:18:47.700 --> 0:18:50.129 grass technique that comes round, but we manage that the 0:18:50.130 --> 0:18:50.970 best we can. 0:18:51.180 --> 0:18:54.150 Because around, I guess, Meadow flat, and what do you say, 0:18:54.210 --> 0:18:59.760 1100 at the highest point, it's quite a high altitude 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:01.859 there and bit of a cool winter. 0:19:01.859 --> 0:19:05.070 Yes. Yes, no, well, I think winter's fairly well upon 0:19:05.070 --> 0:19:07.920 us if you look about today. But it is cold. 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:10.680 It's a cold temperate climate. I like it because it 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:14.550 definitely has the four distinct seasons that we have, but 0:19:14.820 --> 0:19:16.830 where we are does make it a bit tricky in 0:19:16.830 --> 0:19:18.899 the sense that our autumn and winter are probably a 0:19:18.900 --> 0:19:23.070 bit longer than most. We won't get grass growth now 0:19:23.070 --> 0:19:29.040 until about probably middle of September, so it will really start to 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:32.189 fire along. But yeah, it's a good climate to be 0:19:32.190 --> 0:19:37.530 in and it's somewhere that ... We've been here for 30 years, 0:19:37.530 --> 0:19:39.840 or over 30 years now, and I guess we know what we're up against as 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:43.680 the seasons progress and change and we'll manage that the best 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:44.100 we can. 0:19:44.100 --> 0:19:46.650 And have you set up your calendar operations to meet that 0:19:46.650 --> 0:19:48.061 sort of environment, then to grow? 0:19:48.061 --> 0:19:52.320 Correct. Yeah, correct. So that's why we calve a bit later. We calve July, August, 0:19:52.890 --> 0:19:55.619 but generally towards the end of July. And our main 0:19:55.619 --> 0:20:00.060 carving month is August, a few into September, but we 0:20:00.060 --> 0:20:02.550 carve a bit later than others around because we just 0:20:02.550 --> 0:20:06.150 want to prevent that or lessen that grass technique issue. 0:20:06.210 --> 0:20:08.730 We'll never ever get rid of it, but it's an 0:20:08.730 --> 0:20:11.850 issue that is big for us in this Tablelands area. 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:14.701 I think we've segued beautifully into the pastures section. 0:20:14.701 --> 0:20:20.730 Into pastures. As I said, Gareth is our GM. He's our 0:20:20.730 --> 0:20:24.060 grass manager, so I guess- 0:20:24.090 --> 0:20:26.490 I do enjoy watching your pastures from the roadside. 0:20:28.410 --> 0:20:28.830 Well- 0:20:28.830 --> 0:20:29.580 Always good to see what you guys are up to. 0:20:29.580 --> 0:20:34.020 ... Gareth does a good job on that. So I guess our pasture types, 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:38.639 we place a great emphasis on our pastures as they're 0:20:38.640 --> 0:20:41.940 the number one thing that determines our success. Because if 0:20:41.940 --> 0:20:44.850 we don't have good pastures, we can't get that weight gain. 0:20:44.850 --> 0:20:48.540 We don't have cattle that are healthy, shiny. It's just 0:20:48.540 --> 0:20:51.449 something that we really, really need to be our number 0:20:51.450 --> 0:20:56.070 one focus. So when we're doing new pasture, it consists 0:20:56.070 --> 0:21:01.230 of a mixture similar to forefront perennial ryegrass, hummer fescue, 0:21:01.260 --> 0:21:06.570 prairie grass, choice chicory, and a few clovers like arrowleaf, coolamon, 0:21:06.630 --> 0:21:10.109 and sub, and also a bit of brace white clover 0:21:10.290 --> 0:21:14.250 in there as well. That's our energy or our go- 0:21:14.250 --> 0:21:18.810 to mix that really suits all our types of livestock 0:21:19.170 --> 0:21:22.199 and categories of livestock. So it's something that we just 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:25.619 have something in similar to that in each paddock that 0:21:25.619 --> 0:21:29.280 we regenerate. So it also helps with cattle if when 0:21:29.280 --> 0:21:31.170 we're moving them from paddock to paddock, they're not having 0:21:31.170 --> 0:21:34.500 to change their gut system to focus or align with 0:21:34.500 --> 0:21:38.700 something else. The consistency makes it important for us as 0:21:38.700 --> 0:21:39.869 we move cattle around. 0:21:39.990 --> 0:21:42.929 How long do those, like your perennial pastures, how long 0:21:42.930 --> 0:21:45.060 do they last for in your system? 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:49.230 If we look after them well enough probably around that 20 to 25 0:21:49.230 --> 0:21:51.720 year mark. And by that time, I guess, it's just 0:21:51.720 --> 0:21:54.450 like anything, there's always something better. So there's a better 0:21:54.690 --> 0:21:57.359 variety of the chicory. There might be a better variety 0:21:57.359 --> 0:21:59.790 of the ryegrass that we use and they've run their 0:21:59.790 --> 0:22:02.760 course in that 20, 25 years. A paddock gets a bit tired. 0:22:02.970 --> 0:22:05.941 So you're applying fertilizer during each year, or? 0:22:05.941 --> 0:22:09.000 I, also, as part of our team, we also have 0:22:09.000 --> 0:22:12.359 a consult agronomist. Gareth is an agronomist by trade anyway, 0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:16.139 but we also have an outside agronomist that comes in. Which, 0:22:16.140 --> 0:22:19.080 they're good. They really bounce ideas off each other really well. 0:22:19.650 --> 0:22:23.670 So it does help to have those people on board, 0:22:23.670 --> 0:22:27.780 but we always did a fertilizer program prior to them 0:22:27.780 --> 0:22:30.149 coming on board. But I guess what's changed, and this 0:22:30.150 --> 0:22:32.879 is part of the improvement that you get from outside consultants, 0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:35.310 what's changed is we've done a lot of soil testing 0:22:35.310 --> 0:22:38.879 and we soil tested the whole place. So now fertilizer 0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:41.880