Eight generations of in-laws living on the land at Bookham led to grazier David Young inheriting a mixed breed herd, until he sorted the wheat from the chaff and settled on the Angus breed to build his own commercial enterprise.
With three generations in the current operation, David and his wife Jan now run 150 Angus breeders at their 161-hectare “Ferndale” property, as well as leasing 1000 hectares from Jan’s parents’ property, 'Tekooti'.
Bloodlines began with Milong Angus stud, Temora, which are still used today because of their performance and the Youngs’ vision to continue a consistent line of breeding cattle.
“Milong cattle let you give them a scratch on the back and they don’t move an inch – it’s quite amazing to watch,” Mr Young said.
Although the Milong genetics were reaching the performance he was looking for, Mr Young introduced bloodlines from Ben Nevis Angus stud, Walcha, to improve the overall base of the cattle.
“We want to progress the operation a bit quicker to achieve a higher quality animal and improve genetic gain,” he said.
Confessing his love for farming but also his love for running a successful business, Mr Young incorporates a vigorous management program to ensure a top-quality product is produced. This includes a strict culling program, where any animal that presents doing problems or temperament issues are removed.
“We are highly selective in those areas,” Mr Young said. This includes the management of joining periods, electing for a short joining period of six weeks in November/December for an August calf, as Mr Young believes a longer calving present breeding issues.
Mr Young’s weaning practices border traditional and unconventional, electing to utilise five-year-old poddy Friesian steer, Goofy, as a mob leader and minder to maintain his sharp focus on herd temperament.
“If you have skittish cattle, he is the one animal which stays as a herd leader and calms them down twice as quick as any other way,” he said.
Mr Young remains committed to the breed due to the stability of its multiple prime markets.
“The marketing of the breed has been achieved so well that now people who know nothing about cattle will go into a restaurant and order a Black Angus steak,” he said. “They might not realise that’s what they are doing but that’s what they are asking for and there is a premium in that for us as a producer. Ultimately people will pay for quality but they are also paying for the story that goes with the Angus breed. That story is reaching more and more consumers, which is maintaining the breed in the premium market.”
