CALVING twice a year in autumn and spring gives Red Angus producer Ian McCombe, Waitpinga, more flexibility to market his cattle.
While Mr McCombe recognises it might not be the traditional way of running cattle, he says it works for his 80 breeders.
“When you have a dry summer, the spring calves can be a bit more expensive (to raise), but you usually get a better return in early spring for a finished steer,” he said.
“It also means I can use the bulls twice a year and it provides more flexibility for how I manage the herd.”
About 75 per cent of the herd is mated in May and calves in autumn, while the remaining 25pc is mated in early November and calves from late August to early September.
Heifers are either sold to be processed, as mated heifers, or retained as breeders on-farm, while steers are grown out to 10 to 12 months, depending on the season, and are sold through markets or direct to abattoirs.
The majority of Mr McCombe’s herd is based on Ferndale Park and Rockridge bloodlines, but since the two studs closed he will be looking to source Red Angus bulls from remaining local studs or from studs in the South East.
In the past, Mr McCombe used crossbred bulls, including Charolais-Red Angus, and more recently Simmental, but with a small operation he will likely stick with the purebred Red Angus.
“My aim, like most farmers, is to have an easy-care animal, one that has good temperament, easy calving, grows fast and tastes good,” he said.
“Over time, I’ve favoured the Red Angus, mainly for their temperament, but I also don’t believe colour makes any difference.”
Mr McCombe also enjoys the benefits of having eight paddocks sown with lucerne to add extra nutrition and provide additional feed during the year.
When Mr McCombe and his wife Cherie bought the 133-hectare former dairy farm in 2007, it had 3ha set up for dry lucerne.
Through the years, Mr McCombe has experimented with growing lucerne and has sown some paddocks as a lucerne-phalaris combination or with annual rye grasses and clovers.
While Mr McCombe said the lucerne paddocks were not a “proper” trial and merely an observation, he was interested to see it grow in the heavier, acidic Waitpinga soils.
“The idea was to extend spring feed a bit longer, and make autumn feed arrive a little earlier, as well as having good nutrition if we received summer rain,” he said.
The lucerne paddocks are used regularly as they produce more feed compared to the other paddocks, which Mr McCombe has put down to regular soil testing, weed removal and fertilising.
Farming lifestyle vital for McCombes
COMING from a wheat and sheep farm in WA, Ian McCombe, Waitpinga, always wanted his family to grow up on the land.
Along with his wife Cherie, the duo started breeding cattle at their Inman Valley property, prior to moving to Waitpinga in 2007.
“We were very keen not only for ourselves to live on the land, but to raise our children on the farm, which is why we were keen to get out here so our children could grow up like we did,” Mr McCombe said.
“Growing up on the land certainly seems to help an individual appreciate nature in a sensible and sustainable way.”
While Mr McCombe grew up on a sheep farm, cattle farming was different, and was made easier thanks to advice and assistance from his father-in-law Paul Price.
“The multiple skills required of farming are largely a ‘learned on the job’ skill and the gradual loss of family farms will potentially make the passing on of this knowledge more difficult,” he said.
He cuts his own hay, usually permanent pasture, an occasional oat crop or a ryegrass-clover combination. When required, buys hay for additional support.