Taking a new direction

Taking home Irelands Wargoona H344, for $16,000 last year (a sale top also achieved by two other lots offered in the multi-vendor sale), Mr van den Heuvel was a happy customer.

Wargoona H344, born in August 2012, is the maternal sister to the international sire Irelands Fletcher which was sold in 2012 for $43,000.

Mr van den Heuvel has been consulting with Corey Ireland, of Irelands Angus, as to the breeding direction of his own stud Greendale Hill Angus, at Greendale to the west of Sydney.

Prior to purchasing "Greendale Hill Estate" about seven years ago, Mr van den Heuvel and his wife Helma had a small block of about 2.5 hectares in nearby Bringelly.

Originally from Holland and from dairy farming families, they came to Australia in 1986 (Henk had also studied here for a time).

"One of my loves is working on the the land," he said, and he had sought to pursue cattle breeding in conjunction to his role as co-owner of Hortraco, a horticultural trading company based in Mount Druitt.

He had his heart set on Angus cattle.

"I think Angus are a very nice breed," he said, citing their size, shape, looks and handleability.

He has been running a commercial herd of Angus, but has been transitioning to his own Angus stud.

A key aspect to his stud development plans has been a strong emphasis on pasture improvement and clearing on the property, especially from wild olives.

Part of his pasture improvement has involved aeration of his light clay soils - he said the benefits had been remarkable and farmers should consider an aerator to see benefits in their soils.

"It's not just what's on top, but it's also what's in the soil that counts as well," he said.

Mr van den Heuvel said Corey Ireland had been a key figure and wonderful help in the past few years.

He has purchased both bulls and females from Irelands; among his purchases has been the bull Irelands Great Time G190 and the female Irelands Vicky E19.

Carrying out an artifical insemination program, Mr van den Heuvel said he aimed to have a diversity of top-line females.

His purchase at last year's RAS Angus sale, Irelands Wargoona H344 forms a key part of his plans for the stud - she is on Corey Ireland's property where she has been flushed, and is set to return to Greendale in the next month.

Mr van den Heuvel was one of three buyers at last year's sale who took home purchases for $16,000.

The other female was also sold by Irelands Angus; Irelands Pleasure J20 was purchased by Ryan Brady, Kempsey, which Mr Brady had bought to help establish his own stud - Custom Angus.

The third $16,000 lot was a bull, Premier Braveheart H46, which was sold by Stuart Geard, of Premier Angus, Joadja.

At the time of the sale the bull weighed 860 kilograms and a 24 square centimetre eye muscle area.

It was purchased by Sandra and Richard Retallack of Glengowan Angus at Newbridge, via Blayney.

All up, at last year's sale 23 of the 26 bulls sold to a top of $16,000 and an average of $7600, 14 of the 25 females sold to a top of $16,000 twice and an average of $6785, and seven of 14 genetic packages sold to a top of $5000 and an average of $607.