With major parts of Queensland and New South Wales experiencing flooding, while parts of southern NSW, Victorian, South Australia and Western Australia are experiencing the worst drought on record, farmers are once again being tested in the extreme.
Agistment and hay is becoming increasingly scarce or unaffordable, trucking in water is time consuming and costly, and transport costs are rising in line with increased fuel and regulatory costs. Many cattle producers are facing the difficult and often soul-destroying decision to substantially downsize or totally disperse their herds. Generations of careful breeding and genetic selection weighed up against mounting costs and desperation.
Saleyards in Victoria and NSW have seen record numbers of cattle sold off with many destined for northern NSW and southern Queensland markets. Over 20,000 head of cattle were sold out of south west Victoria in the one week during May. With properties beginning to dry out sufficiently to muster and load stock, saleyards in the NSW mid north coast and Hunter region are also seeing sharp rises following flooding in the regions.
As custodians of rare breed genetics, British White breeders face another dimension when considering forced herd downsizing. Selling stud stock to saleyards is a last resort lest the genetics and scarce overall Australian herd numbers be irretrievably compromised.
So, if you’re in the fortunate position to be able to increase your herd size, or you are thinking about establishing a beef cattle stud take a look at the British White breed and cattle available for sale on the BWCSA website. You can also read all about how desirable and versatile the breed is via first hand testimonials in our past newsletters.
Read about how this affected a large-scale farming enterprise in our feature article this month on Dulla Dulla Pastoral Company.
