Betty Roache is a woman with foresight when it comes to her Angus herd in southern NSW.
She had bred her outstanding Angus female herd on the family property “Arden”, Adelong, since she assumed the management in 1981.
“You have to have a vision,” Mrs Roache said of her cattle.
“I like a certain type of Angus and I have not deviated from my vision since I started breeding years ago.”
“Temperament is important, but I also concentrate on selecting for length and depth of body, with a neat straight back line and wide between the eyes.”
The dedication Mrs Roache has applied to her “vision” of the most suitable type of Angus to run on her country has paid off.
During the 48th annual autumn store sale in Tumut, she sold 13 30-month-old cows with calves by Milwillah-bred bulls for $2450.
It was the top price on the day for that category of cattle, and on a par with similar types sold across the south.
“We get a premium for our heifers when we sell though those sales,” Mrs Roache said.
She also takes pleasure when driving around her cows and pointing out the various characteristics she has genetically instilled in her herd.
Mrs Roache said the 1011-hectare property near the head of the Yaven Creek valley was bought by her father in the early 1930s and originally ran Merino wool cutters.
“My father had the first Angus in the valley, but he concentrated on running Merino wethers before the country was pasture improved and we got rid of the rabbits,” she said.
“Before superphosphate we didn’t get the feed we do now, and the Angus cows were joined to either Hereford or Shorthorn bulls and ran on our limited creek frontage country.”
Her country rises from the Yaven Creek flats almost 300 metres onto a plateau and the variation in soil type, gradient and temperature can be a challenge at times.
But Mrs Roache has spent all her life on the property and understands its many quirks.
Mrs Roache dispersed the last of the Merino wethers with the fall of the wool market due to the demise of the Reserve Price Scheme.
She then increased the focus on her Angus herd.
“As I gradually improved the country, I went deeper into cattle,” she said.
“I have always had a policy of buying the best bulls I could afford, and over the years my herd has slowly got to where I am now happy with my type.”
When selecting her bulls, Mrs Roache said she looks for a sire that immediately attracts her attention.
“He must have good ‘eye appeal’, which goes with structure,” she said.
Adelong breeder buys bulls with 'eye appeal'
Betty Roache, “Arden”, Adelong, is adamant about her sire selection.
“I choose the bull visually before I look at the figures, but generally the bull with good size and structure comes with good figures,” she said.
Mrs Roache has been selecting sires from the Milwillah Angus stud, bred by the Caldwell family west of Young.
“I was travelling with my daughter Maria around the studs open during the Southern Beef Week and when we drove into Milwillah, I knew straight away I was going to find bulls there which I would be very happy with,” she said.
“I know the type of sire I am looking for, but it is now getting harder for me to get a reasonably priced bull which will continue to lift the standard of my herd.”
During the often tough winters she experiences in her valley, Mrs Roache supplements the available pasture by feeding her cattle pellets rather than hay.
“I find it easier to feed out pellets than hay, and I think it is cheaper,” she said.
