ON FARM SOUTHERN CATTLE BUSINESS MANAGEMENTC Planning The decision to sellyoung stock before winter LESSONSLEARNED supported an additional for growth 2,000 head in the past12 months, sent downfrom Waverley Station’s> Review your businessplan throughout the drought-affected Scone and year to ensure targets Waverley Station’s King Island operations Gunnedah properties. are being met. manager Jamie Roebuck is implementing The business has been > Invest in people to simple strategies to build resilience and in a growth phase for the build skills and foster increase productivity in the station’s intensive past 10–15 years, so 90% ownership of ideas. grazing enterprise. of heifers are retained as > Match production Jamie (pictured right) Greenhams and, although replacements. As the herd systems to the oversees 10,000ha, 8,000 fewer cattle will now be stabilises, surplus heifers environment. Angus breeders and 12 staff going direct to slaughter, ourwill be used to rebuild the > Balance external across four farms on King steers are being purchased Scone herd once the drought advice with your Island for the family-run by some of their finishers,” breaks. Jamie also sees own knowledge and company, which also has Jamie said. potential to sell heifers which experience. properties in NSW. have been pregnancy-tested The decision to turn in-calf. His business plan is founded stock off earlier and Pasture management on three principles: lighter was motivated by Soil and rainfall vary across • focus on the ‘low-hanging knowledge gained from the King Island, from lighter fruit’ of soil fertility and MLA-supported Pasture breeding country with grazing management Principles program, and 850mm rainfall in the north • invest heavily in staff supported by business to heavier finishing country training analysis conducted with with 1,000mm rainfall in • match production systems John Francis of Holmes and the south. to pasture supply. Sackett. John manages the King Island grazing Stocking rates range from “When it comes to developing benchmarking group, of 22 DSE/ha for breeders to a business plan, you have to which Jamie is a member. 18 DSE/ha for young cattle. assess what’s best for your Productivity boosters ndivual siuation,” he said.idt “Analysing our business and Pasture management Grazing management is i assessing profit drivers changes included increasing mob size to extend the supported by an autumn “If you start with the basics showed us we could better nitrogen-based fertiliser and get the profit drivers match our production grazing rotation from 30 program to build the winter right, the restwill start to fallsystems to our environment to 60 days during winter, feed wedge, supplemented into place.” by turning stock off earlier giving ryegrass–clover by strategic urea application d to relieve grazing pressure pastures more time to rest to bridge feed deficits. Jamie an his team through winter and increase and recover (rotation length concentrate on what’s kilos of beef produced per decreases as it warms up to Extensive soil testing within teir control, such ash hectare annually,” Jamie said.match rotation periods to leaf helps manage applications, adjusting production focus to emergence rates). targeting the huge variation reflect the environment. “The Pasture Principles in soil fertility within and program completely Jamie hopes the amended between properties. One example of this changed how we manage grazing management approach was when the3 our grass to match animal will support 15–20% “We’ve been able to reduce 2018turn-off of ,700 steers nutrition requirements to more breeders. inputs on the really good (weighing 400–500kg) was feed supply. areas and use that money soldto backgrounders in It’s halved the amount of to rebuild levels on the Tasmania from November “At the end of the day, we’re country under grazing country that was lacking, 2017 to February 2018. This just as much about farming pressure at any one by strategically managing replaced their traditional and using grass as we’re time, leaving a lot more fertiliser inputs rather pathway of sending about producing beef.” in recovery and growth than blanket application,” 500–600kg steers direct phase. As well as increasing Jamie said. to processing. Whole-of-business focus production, the new grazing King Island may be remote, management plan has An intensive animal health “We’ve always had a strong but it plays an important rolereduced labour because program is necessary to relationship with (processor) within the family company. there are fewer mobs to shift.manage the worm burden in 28