GROWING up attending bull sales alongside his grandmother Betty Roche, it’s no wonder AJ Roche was bound to enter the cattle buying game at a young age.
Earlier this year, the 12-year-old was photographed by The Land’s Rachael Webb buying his first pen of heifers at the Tumut saleyards with the help of an “advanced loan” from his grandmother.
The 10 PTIC two-year-old Angus heifers have since calved out and AJ is already “rubbing his hands” as some of the steer progeny approach their turnoff.
While the grade six student has long term goals to work on the land, cattle are only a small part of this entrepreneur’s empire.
“We just got back from Warwick (at a horse event) and he sat up there and made a heap of whip cracks and was selling them,” his mother Maria Roche said.
“He looks at everything and works out how he can make money from it.”
AJ has about 75 chickens, mainly Silkies, and is busy incubating eggs to fill his busy Christmas orders.
He also sells fishing flies online, is designing clothing and has dabbled in budgie sales. AJ said his business ideas normally came when he was sitting in class.
The Roche family now run an Angus herd of registrable commercial animals.
“I think it’s encouraging him from a very young age at looking at the value of money and giving him opportunities, so helping him to set stuff up,” Maria Roche said.