GROWING up alongside the family's Santa Gerturdis stud at Nangari near Loxton, and with extensive agricultural ties through both sides of their parents' families, the passion to pursue stud cattle breeding was inevitable for Alizah, Eleni and Thomas Fogden.
The fifth generation beef producers now run their own Charolais stud Boulview - after taking on the stud in 2006 from their grandparents Barry and Pat Boulton, Washpool, who established it in 1973.
"We were lucky to be able to form a partnership between the three of us to purchase females from our grandparents in the Mid North to continue on the family stud of Boulview," Eleni said.
"From when we took the Charolais stud over, we have been slowly chipping away at it, putting our personal touch on the cows to be able to present something we are proud of each year to our clients."
Boulview now comprises 60 stud cows, with some excitement surrounding new Canadian genetics being introduced.
The stud runs alongside Nangaringa Santa Gertrudis stud at the family's Nangari homestead, where parents Peter and Justine Fogden raised the three children, with grandparents Richard and Deidre Fogden also present.
We have had some amazing mentors along the way and made some incredible lifelong friends, both here and overseas.
- ELENI FOGDEN
Eleni said not only had their family been most influential in their careers, they had also gained knowledge and experience from other stud breeders and the beef industry as a whole.
"We have had some amazing mentors along the way and made some incredible lifelong friends, both here and overseas, and clients that have helped us continue our grandparents' legacy," she said.
Some recent personal successes have included both Alizah and Thomas representing SA in national paraders competitions, while Alizah has travelled extensively to agricultural areas in North and South America in her gap year.
Eleni says they all have plans to travel overseas within the next 12 months to visit that studs that their genetics have come from.
The Boulview stud has also won many broadribbons throughout the years, including an interbreed sires progeny win at the Royal Adelaide Show and a heifer classic win with a Santa Gertrudis at the 2018 Penola Show among the many accolades.
The stud has also been selling stud livestock since 2012, with clients spanning across Australia, but with most retained locally.
"Commercial operations have been our target with some of our long-time supporters coming from the South East and up near Maitland," Eleni said.
"We have been pretty lucky with the beef industry, the prices at the moment have been fantastic. It is certainly a great time to be involved and have watched it grow to be really rewarding for our fellow breeders."
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Eleni said the most rewarding aspect for the trio was seeing their genetics perform out in the paddock for clients, who keep returning for more.
"While our lives are a little hectic at the moment with everyone back on-farm studying online and working full time, every spare moment is spent out improving our stud and assisting dad and our grandparents run their farm," she said.
Alizah is in her final year of teaching, Thomas has just finished ag college and Eleni is halfway through an accounting degree.
Alizah and Thomas are now focused on the upcoming SA Junior Heifer Expo, while the family is in the process of finalising a team for the Royal Adelaide Show and hopefully the return of some country shows towards the end of the year.