THERE have been some very ordinary years on the black soil plains and sandy ridges since 2000 at “Lezayre”, Burren Junction, according to Richard Slack-Smith, who relies on his Mitchell grass and natural pastures to keep his herd of Poll Shorthorns in as top condition as possible.
In good seasons the 2025 hectare property can turn off steers at 400 kilograms-plus straight to the feedlots, but other years he markets them in store condition through Narrabri store Cattle sales.
Cull heifers are also grown out for feedlotting or sold as stores at Narrabri.
“We did send off 50 or so steers to Caroona feedlot last year,” Mr Slack-Smith said.
“We really have been in drought since 2000 with a few better years between, but nothing substantial,” he said.
But seasons, good or bad, won’t stop Mr Slack-Smith and wife, Pat, from continuing to breed some of the most eye-appealing soft and muscularly Shorthorns in the north-west.
They run 200 breeders in good times but 150 head in dry like at present and have been doing so for decades.
His grandfather, Jim, had Beef Shorthorns and father, Eric, ran the same on the neighbouring family property, “Wyndella”, from 1903.
“It’s always been a commercial herd of Beef Shorthorns but changed to Polls in the mid-1970s,” Mr Slack-Smith said.
He dabbled with a small “horned” stud herd (Lezayre) “just for a few years” but then concentrated on commercial breeding.
First-calver heifers have just finished calving while matrons have just begun.
“We calve now to try and get away from the hot weather,” Mr Slack-Smith said.
Heifers are kept to the 22 month mark before joining as the Slack-Smiths prefer to give them a “good start” before motherhood.
“They need that extra time to grow out on this country,” Mr Slack-Smith said.
“The empties are sold and then I go through them and class them up.
“I try to hang on to about 50 to 60 heifers each year as replacements.”
Old cows were recently sold PTIC at Narrabri and fetched up to $1450 a head.
Weaning is at five to six months of age.
“But it’s fairly seasonal out here when to wean,” he said.
“We try to calve on the Mitchell grass country if possible as we don’t have much calving problems on this.
“After decent summer rain this country will produce a big crop of Mitchell grass on which to graze.”
However, the couple are currently feeding their steers and this time last year had been feeding the whole herd from Christmas to June.
“But this is what the Shorthorn breed can do, live through tough times and produce kilos of red meat in the good,” he said.
