Tim Koch has taken the reins at KP Pastoral, west of Frances, from parents Brentyn and Carol but he is not about to make too many changes to what he says is a “pretty good model’’.
The 575-hectare mixed farming operation – sheep, cattle and some lucerne seed and hay – is just the right fit for Tim to handle on his own most of the time, with a bit of help from his recently semi-retired parents from time-to-time.
KP Pastoral targets the weaner market at Naracoorte with some very solid results and Tim says he will not be changing that any time soon. He also will not look to change from Angus or the practice of buying Roseleigh bulls which have been a constant on the property for more than 20 years.
“The cows we’ve got, with the Roseleigh bulls over the top, just seems to work really well,” Tim says.
“We get that nice cover on our calves. We get that nice bit of stretch in them, they’re nice, soft animals and they just sell well. And that’s the ball game right there – the price you get in the market.”
Tim says the Roseleigh bulls from the Cowley family at Pinnaroo turn out calves that set up a very nice line in the yards.
“The agents like to put the best lines you’ve got up the top of their list, at the top of their selling order,” Tim says.
“Our top lines, if they’re not at the top of that list, they’re somewhere right up there because they come up really well.
“We won’t go to any other bull sales. We won’t go and look at them or put in any bids. We’ll just go to Roseleigh because we already know what we’re going to get. We’re more than happy with that.
“We have gone to other studs to see what’s changed. We’ve done that before and we’ll do it again, but we’re more than satisfied with what Roseleigh can do for us.”
KP Pastoral’s big framed cows, 160 this year, mean there are few calving issues.
“When you stand at the back of the calves we get out of these bulls and cow combination and look across, they’ve got a really nice cover – you do yield quite a bit of muscle in them.
“And the temperament of the bulls especially is a trait we look for. You can walk through their yards … and then we won’t have them here for another year, but they’ll still be nice and quiet when we get them.”
Tim vaccinates all KP Pastoral cattle in February, a good month before the first calf is likely to land in late March.
The cows we’ve got, with the Roseleigh bulls over the top, just seems to work really well.
- TIM KOCH
“We’ll join in the first week of June and the bulls will stay in there until October. We’re busy with other things so we’re not too concerned how long they stay in there,” Tim says
“We might get the first calf in March but most of them will be April to July.
“We’ll usually wean them just before Christmas and we end up at that first sale in January.”
At the first Naracoorte weaner sale for the year, 20 head of KP Pastoral cattle averaged 386 kilograms after curfew.
“That’s an average out of the 20 and there will be some of them that will be up over 400kg by that time, so that’s a pretty good result out of a calf,” Tim says.
“We supplement feed our cattle with some oaten hay through summer to get them through, but those calves in their life will see a bale or two only when they’re weaned to keep them quiet. Other than that, they get no supplementary feed.
“So they’re all grassfed. There’s no antibiotics, there’s nothing else. To get that kind of result with what we’re doing with the cows and the bulls is a pretty good mix.
“The bulls get treated no differently to the cows. During summer, they are supported with oaten hay and supplied with a good paddock with some good tucker. They’ll be carrying some good condition come June and hopefully they’re race ready.’’
Tim runs mobs of about 40 to 45 cows and puts a single bull to each mob, keeping one bull as a spare.
“The bulls don’t mind a scrap and trying to work out who the alpha is. We have the spare in the event we have a broken bull and after the first month, we actually rotate the bulls around,” he said.
“We try to watch them work in case a bull is broken or there is anything wrong but we will rotate them around and get that spare into the mix if we can just to make sure everything is covered.”
Tim said through selling agent Southern Australian Livestock’s Mat MacDonald, they target the Naracoorte weaner markets due to the large number of buyers present.
“You’ll get restockers... there will be the full lid of buyers there. There will be some feedlotters there, especially for the steers, but also for the heifers the guys will be targeting that heifer sale also. There could be a 10-15 cent premium just for that weaner sale as opposed to the Tuesday fat market.
“At the end of the day, we don’t supplement feed them so we’re not looking to carry them through to 400-450kg and carry them through to next spring, feeding them and finding room for them.
“They’re not vaccinated or drenched so we’re not carrying any of those costs.
“To get into that market and get that bit of a premium, I think it’s a good return for what we do here.’’
Tim said it was exciting 30 years ago when he was younger to go to the Naracoorte saleyards and see a range of breeds.
“You could really make a comparison between Hereford, Limousin, Shorthorns – everything used to be in there,” he said. “But now it’s all back and you’re really comparing against the different breeders, who’s producing what.
“The demand is there for Angus and as long as that demand is there, then we’ll be there too.”