Wistow grazier looks to build on Angus breeding

After taking on a French Limousin cattle herd from his father, Mr Pelvay transitioned to Angus cattle four years ago.

"One of the good things about the Angus breed is they've got high intramuscular fat compared with a lot of other breeds," he said.

Mr Pelvay said he looked to breed cattle with intramuscular fat, to improve flavour in the beef produced.

"We've used three different sires and they're all high in intramuscular fat - the last one we used was in the top 5 per cent in the Australian and New Zealand beef index," he said.

"We also look for high 200, 400 and 600-day growth rates.

"We're trying to get the cattle off at 15-monthsold and ready for market at about 500 kilograms."

Mr Pelvay said he sold most through the Mount Compass market, with many also sold locally.

While prices are down in the cattle market, he said the weather would dictate how long they stayed down.

"If it's dry this year and dry next year, people will start wanting to sell animals off," he said.

"If we have another good year with more rain, it will most probably take off again."

Mr Pelvay said he had a new focus on rotational grazing, planning to divide his paddocks in half, after seeing significant benefits.

"A farmer once told me once he rotates his animals and doesn't put them in the same paddock for at least 28 days, because they get worms," he said.

"He hasn't wormed his cattle for 20 years because he keeps rotating them and they're not feeding on their faeces, so that's what he does and that's what I'd like to be doing.

"I don't want to have the cattle in the same paddock for longer than seven days."

Mr Pelvay's father had previously run Canadian Red Deer, but a decision was made to sell them off due to safety concerns during rutting time.

After taking on the Adelaide Hills farm from his late father Joseph, Mr Pelvay and his wife Cordula have been constantly looking for new ideas, starting with artificial insemination.

"We get people here that bring the cows into heat and then they inject them with semen," he said.

"The beauty about that is - aside from being able to choose from great genetics - is that we know on August 25, the cows are going to start dropping their calves.

"Some cows might be a few days early or a few days late, but within a week the ones that get pregnant from the first round of AI are going to drop their calves."

Rotational grazing is not the only change in nutrition on the farm, with a lucerne crop set to be grazed in August.

Mr Pelvay said the growth of a winter lucerne crop had been a source of great excitement for him and his wife Cordula, since it was seeded in late May.

"It has been about a three-year process for us to actually get the seeds in," he said.

"We limed the paddocks three years ago, then the next year we put gypsum on and then the following year, we limed it again.

"That has brought it up to a more of a mutual pH level, which it likes."

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Mr Pelvay said it was rare for farmers in the Wistow area to grow lucerne and he was eager to see how effective it would be.

"There's not too many farmers that I know of in this area that grow lucerne," he said.

"We're experimenting to see if it works and lucerne is basically king of the fodder, so we're keen to get it growing for the cattle and give them the best."

For those thinking of growing lucerne in the Mount Barker area, Mr Pelvay said there was a lot of preparation required prior to seeding.

"For here, with this soil type, there's a lot of preparation involved and I'll be able to tell in three to four months whether it has worked or not," he said.

"If it works successfully here, I will look at doing it across other parts of the farm as well."