Angus was the breed of choice for the Hutchison family when establishing a cattle herd that could compete with their 2500 crossbred sheep flock.
Simon Hutchison has been involved in the livestock game since he can remember. He followed in his father, Barrie Hutchinson's footsteps and became an agent, having worked for J & J Kelly Stock Agency, out of Mortlake and Hamilton, for 17 years.
"I've also been involved in farming for 28 years as mum (Robyn) and dad always had a farm. Now, with my wife Kareena, and our kids Beau, Matilda, Sharnee, and Chief, we farm alongside them," Mr Hutchison said.
The Hutchisons own Riverview Farms, Heywood, deep in southwest Victoria, near the South Australian border, 23km north of Portland. They've purchased adjacent farms since 2000 to continue building the business, which their children are invested in, now and into the future.
They run their sheep and cattle programs on 440 hectares of freehold land and a further 440ha of leased land that consists of diverse country ranging from heavy black river flats to black soil country and into red terracotta soil over limestone, which receives close to 760mm of average annual rainfall.
Their Angus-based herd has been elevated for the past 13 years through the use of bulls that have been continually purchased from Shane and Jodie Foster, Boonaroo Angus, Corndale via Casterton.
"The Boonaroo cattle have great softness, and they're easy doing. They certainly handle running with the sheep well. They are all run on grass, and maybe a bit of hay in winter, we rarely need to supplement feed them though."
Mr Hutchison said they've discovered one of the biggest bonuses of the Boonaroo bulls is their fertility.
"Our conception rates have gone through the roof since we've been using them. We've tried bulls from other studs, but due to the impact Boonaroo genetics have had on our herd we really don't want to go elsewhere."
To further shape their ideal article, the Hutchisons run a straight Angus herd and a small Simmental herd, through which Angus bulls are crossed with the Simmental to produce seven-eighths Angus-cross progeny.
"Through this cross, we gain hybrid vigour, great feeder weights, and cows that hold their condition and don't get overweight.
"We have about 300 cows. Dad usually sells his as Angus-cross (with a small amount of Santa Gertrudis blood) as weaners, while I sell my Angus-Simmental at 16 to 18 months old as 600kg bullocks, while the majority of the heifers are retained. We usually sell on AuctionsPlus, as they're soft, attractive, and easy to market."
The Hutchisons' calving windows are from February to March and September to October and as their herd has "probably reached critical mass" in size, they're selecting stringently.
This has not been an easy task for the family because since they introduced Boonaroo genetics, non-performing females have been few and far between.
"For one session in 2022, we pregnancy tested 100 cows and only one was empty, and this year only eight out of 160 weren't in-calf.
"We might have pulled a dozen calves in total over the past 13 years, and the calves we receive get up and going by themselves. They don't need much, if any, assistance from us. They're easy farming.
"While we do keep all our cattle in condition, it's a credit to the Boonaroo bulls that we're achieving these results."
Mr Hutchison said another advantage of Boonaroo bulls is the longevity that passes onto their female progeny.
"We've had 12- to 13-year-old cows that have continued to farm on with no fertility issues. They do a good job, they're easy to manage, and they reproduce easily."
Mr Hutchison joked that while he's certain the Fosters provide great customer service, he hasn't had a single issue with the dozen Boonaroo bulls he has purchased to date so he hasn't had the need to find out.
"As an agent, if I ever see a pen of steers in the yards sired by a Boonaroo bull I always have a good look at them. They have a lot of repeat buyers of their cattle, which is always a sign of good quality."
