Ravenswood Teddi with Ruelan Park Tori
To say that Ruelan Park British White Cattle is a professional farming operation would be a gross understatement. In fact, the whole undertaking is living proof that the British White breed can form the basis of an efficient, productive business venture.
It helps that the people running the show are a registered specialist cattle veterinarian with experience in cattle health, reproduction and herd productivity, and his fiancée, who is part of a family that manages a 300-cow Holstein milking herd.
Dr Ashley Phipps is a partner at Rochester Veterinary Practice in northern Victoria, and Brooke Somerville shares her time between Ruelan Park and her family’s dairy business, Clydebank Holsteins; Brooke also works as a freelance agricultural photographer and advocate for the rural sector.
Ruelan Park is located in Nanneella, Victoria, on a 30-acre property, and runs 25 Australian Purebred British White cattle comprising one bull, 21 cows, one heifer and two calves, based primarily on Ravenswood stud genetics. A number of British White F1–F3 cattle are also kept, as part of Ruelan’s crossbreeding and market program.
To date, all purebred male calves have been sold as breeding bulls. “We aim to register all bulls provided they meet the breed standard and have good temperament,” says Ash. “The majority have been purchased by dairy farmers seeking a reliable, easy-calving beef bull option, while a couple have been secured by fellow members of the Society”.
“We have also collected semen from our stud bull for use within our own herd, as well as supplying semen locally to dairy farmers. This has provided producers with an additional option for producing F1 beef calves and diversifying their breeding programs.”
Ash bought the property in July 2015, a few years after graduating. To begin with he bucket-reared a small number of cattle from a dairy base (F1 cross).
“We have kept one that we bucket-reared, Panda, a Holstein X Hereford cow. Very much a pet cow that gets joined to a British White each year.”
The establishment of Ruelan Park began two years later with the purchase of a foundation herd, cattle sourced from Ravenswood British White stud near Benalla: a bull (Dain), a cow (Harriet) and three heifers (Teddi, Blue and Skyla), marking the beginning of their involvement with the breed.
“We still have two of the original heifers, Teddi and Skyla,” Ash says. Both have been productive cows, with Teddi mothering eight calves, two bulls and six heifers, and Skyla producing five bulls and six heifers, including three sets of twins.
Ash and Brooke had some very good reasons for choosing British Whites: “Their heritage as a multipurpose breed, combined with the relatively small population in Australia, presented an opportunity to contribute to the preservation and growth of a distinctive genetic resource,” Ash says. The breed’s aesthetic appeal, docile temperament and suitability for crossbreeding programs were also strong drawcards.
And the couple’s focus will be on British Whites going forward: “Our long-term objective is to transition toward a herd consisting entirely of British White cattle,” Ash says.
In the meantime, they join most of their cows to an Angus bull to target the local vealer market and maintain commercial viability – an approach that enables them to balance stud development with cashflow while progressively expanding their purebred base.
While British Whites may be slightly slower maturing compared with some mainstream beef breeds, their temperament, calving ease and adaptability are notable strengths, Ash says.
“Feedback from dairy producers using our bulls and semen has been very positive, particularly in relation to calving ease and the performance of F1 progeny. The breed offers an appealing alternative in crossbreeding systems focused on hybrid vigour and market flexibility.”
Ruelan’s approach to finishing and management is clearly delineated: “All females bred on the property are retained, with a target calving age of around 2.5 years. Purebred bulls are generally marketed between 10 and 12 months of age. Angus-cross British White progeny are typically sold into the vealer market at around 12 months. All calves are yard-weaned, with fence-line contact maintained through yard rails to minimise stress and reduce post-weaning growth setbacks,” Ash says.
Currently, the commercial focus is on several core markets – the leasing of bulls to commercial herds, semen sales to support artificial insemination programs, and the vealer market, particularly for Angus X British White progeny.
In one area, they would like to see some improvement: “The sale of purebred bulls, primarily to dairy producers, faces subdued demand within our region,” Ash says, “achieving between one-half and one-third of the values for stud bulls typically advertised on the Society’s market platform – we would love to see this change.”
The couple are committed to actively promoting British White cattle through direct engagement with local producers and broader industry networks, concentrating on the breed’s commercial strengths and long-term value.
At Ruelan Park, the future looks bright: Ash and Brooke are looking to relocate to a larger property, with plans to significantly expand their breeding herd and further invest in genetic development, with a continued focus on temperament, fertility and commercial relevance.
The British White Cattle Society has been highly supportive, Ash says, particularly during the establishment phase of their stud, where assistance with documentation and breed registration processes was invaluable.
An initiative Ash believes could help the breed’s visibility at a farm level would be farm gate signage. “Available through the Society, identifying properties as proud members of the British White Cattle Society of Australia, it could help raise awareness and spark conversation about the breed within regional communities.”
