The Boundary Rider’s Report March 2025

Thank you for being here to read the March Boundary Rider’s Report. It has been a hectic couple of weeks since our last report, with weaning, pregnancy testing, sowing pastures, making hay and plenty of weather. We have hosted a chainsaw operation course for Ladies in Livestock, Tocal College students and our jackaroos attended an Instinct Stockhandling School with Chook Kealey. We are very focused on our Proven Angus Stud Breeder Sale, so please read on to find out more.

Proven Angus Stud Breeders Sale: Tuesday 8th April 2025

We are really excited to be offering 32 proven Angus stud breeders from our Bald Blair Angus stud herd at 11am on Tuesday 8th April 2025 on property and live streamed on Auctions Plus. 

These proven breeders from our stud herd will be 5 year old (Q Drop Dams) & 6 year old (P Drop Dams), HBR and APR.  These cows have been part of the breeding program here at Bald Blair and represent an opportunity to add to existing stud breeding herds or those herds starting up.  There are 2 dams in this sales team that have been part of our Donor team in the past few years.

The sire lines of these stud cows include Rennylea L519, Lawsons Momentous M518, GAR Fail Safe, Clunie Range Legend L348, Paringa Judd M118,  Boonaroo Gravity G013, Alpine Justice J108, Knowla Nobleman N46 and our own homebred sires. 

IMF top of +5.6 and averaging 3.6.

EMA top of 11.4 and averaging 5.62

They have been joined to Connealy Craftsman, Hart Network, Musgrove Rob Roy, Ardrossan Nector Q67, (NAQQ67),Rennylea T17, (NOR22T17) and covered by our homebred and bought sires Bald Blair Patriarch T23 (NBB22T23), Bald Blair Stirling S86 (NBB21S86) and Ben Nevis Top Tier T028 (NBN23T028).

Photos and videos of the cows will be done by Struan and Monika https://studstocksales.com

on Thursday next week and available online not long after that.

While the online catalogue is available now (links below) a printed catalogue will be available next week. If you would like a catalogue posted to you please, please forward your mailing address to Kirstywhite@baldblair.com.au. 

Inspections are welcome by appointment any time, so please give us a call on 0438 792 140 or 02 6779 2141.  Likewise if you wish to ring and chat about the females do not hesitate to do so.

Link to Angus Australia Online Catalogue: CLICK HERE

Link to AuctionsPlus Online Catalogue: CLICK HERE

ELDERS online registration form: CLICK HERE

Link to Angus Australia calendar link: CLICK HERE

Bull Sale

SAVE THE DATE: 1pm, Tuesday, 5th August 2025 

Bulls all going well in preparation for this year's sale.  100 bulls on offer. 

More information will be available on our website as we get closer to the sale.

Calendar link: https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/event/bald-blair-angus-bull-sale-5

Bald Blair Angus 2025 Open Day: Wednesday 23 July 2025

We are excited to announce that Simon Quilty will be our guest speaker at our open day.  Please join us to hear all about the latest market updates and predictions from Simon.  Tea and coffee available from 10am & bulls in yards for inspection.  Lunch served at 12 noon followed by Simon speaking at 1pm.

Calendar link: Bald Blair Angus 2025 Open Day - Angus Australia

If you would like to be added to our bull sale catalogue mailing list please forward your postal address to Kirstywhite@baldblair.com.au. 

Season

The season east of Guyra remains good, with some properties receiving good rain and portions of Bald Blair getting a little dry.  Stock are all doing well.  The weather conditions still dominate the market all around the country. 

Market 

I am seeing small glimpses in local markets of the market trying to move North.  Dry conditions still dominate the market and could do for a while, keeping a lid on prices however once this passes, the market will rise.

So Keep breeding cattle. Check out https://www.mla.com.au/prices-markets/cattle/nyci/.  If you need bulls in the forthcoming spring breeding season, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Sam’s top 5 tips for weaning:  We yard wean for a week and aim to train the stock to handle all stresses they may encounter in their life.

1. Prepare: Update stock records and set up essential equipment—hay racks, feed troughs, weighboxes & debrief team on plan for mustering and yard work before the weaning process begins.
2. Handle: Employ calm (no yahoo) handling techniques when moving cows and calves.  Calves are worked through the yards morning and night to improve their handling ability and are introduced to dogs, 4WD bikes, buggies and horses as the week progresses.
3. Record: We record the mature cow's weight and condition score before returning cows to a fresh paddock.  We record calf temperament and weight also and submit this data to Angus Australia.
4. Feed and water: Provide clean drinking water, clean troughs and fresh hay and feed ration each day.  Ensure weaners also get to walk in paddock with grass to keep their guts right.
5. After weaning: Continue to work the weaners in their new paddocks to continue to build their ability to move well, with 4WD Bikes, Buggy’s and Horses.

Pastures

Pastures have started to be sown here at Bald Blair. It has been too hot to finish, and currently we await the passing of cyclonic activity near the border before we start up again. The pasture mix is Fescue, Phalaris, Cocksfoot, Rye, red and white clover, Plantain, Puna Chickory and Prairie grass.  A good balanced mix that has shown great resilience in the weather of the last few years. 

Hay has been bailed at Kolora - 190 round bales of pasture. Thank you Robert Woods.  It has been a bit tricky getting it out of the weather in between weaning, but we are getting there.  Great to have on hand for winter.

Sheep

The sheep have been crutched using the sheep handler.  One shearer would normally crutch 350 to 400 ewes a day, however using the sheep handler one shearer could do upto 540 sheep in a day.  The ewes were drenched at the same time they were in the handler for being crutched, so we did not have to run them back through the race and drench them by hand.  Saving a huge amount of time and back pain for everyone concerned.  To enable this to happen we installed a base plate for the shearing gear to be attached to.  We are really happy with this achievement.

MLA Transport Hub

There is a loading densities table on the MLA’s Transport Hub to assist with getting the load right and here is the link.

https://www.mla.com.au/extension-training-and-tools/resource-hubs/transport-hub/

Calving pulleys

We had a great chat to Priscilla Evans an entrepreneurial vet student that has set up her own business Vet and Ag Tools: Discover the Ultimate Pulley: a compact, modern tool that boosts productivity and confidence in farm and livestock tasks. This versatile, easy-to-set-up pulley reduces injury risks, optimizes animal care, and enhances efficiency for dairy farmers, vets, and station hands. Real testimonials highlight its practicality and effectiveness, making it a must-have tool.

https://www.vetandagtools.com.au/product-page/ultimate-calving-pulley-10-m

EVENTS

Tocal College visit 17 February 2025

It was great to catch up with the cert IV students from Tocal Ag College at Bald Blair Angus.  There was a larger crew than previous years and we were able to have an interactive chat about cattle production and go for a drive to see the property.

World Angus Forum 

Save the Date: 7-8 May 2025

Bonus 8 Day pre-tour starting 29 April 

(including a visit to Bald Blair on Monday 5th May !)

Extra Bonus  7 Day post-tour until 15 May

Calling all cattle enthusiasts and breeders to the 2025 Neogen World Angus Forum! This event unites the global Angus community to share knowledge, promote the breed, and advance cattle breeding and management, plus also to have a good time. Hosted by Angus Australia, it’s an unmissable opportunity to celebrate, learn and catch up with international friends breeding Angus Cattle.  We look forward to showing everyone around here while visiting Bald Blair.

More information: CLICK HERE

Here is a video of Sam talking about the WAF: https://fb.watch/wd8R3Ie1ey/

LISTENING

We have our own podcast, The Data Breeder and have made our last blog, The February  Boundary Rider’s Report into a podcast episode.  Please let us know what you think.  We will have this blog as a podcast episode available asap.  Please subscribe to The Data Breeder so you don’t miss out.

Listen to it here on spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0L1Q7z4xFxdONLXZi1USW3?si=Kpi9B0NaSS-L9G1UiuzXhQ

Or here on apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-boundary-riders-report-with-sam-white-and-rebel/id1574009246?i=1000695160437

Canada’s Farm Whisperer Spills the Secrets to Family Farming Success with Elaine Froese - Farm Family Transition Expert

AgriCoach Wealth & Wisdom Podcast by The Financial Bloke

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/agricoach-wealth-wisdom-podcast-by-the-financial-bloke/id1598835360?i=1000691729826

WATCHING

Lachie Morton’s greatest feat of endurance yet.  

Last September, Lachy set a new Around Australia Record, riding 14,200-kilometers around his home country in just 30 days, nine hours, and 59 minutes. That’s more than 460 kilometers per day, every day, for a month. Lachy’s brother Gus was there with him for the ride, filming all of his pre-dawn starts, the lonely time trials down outback highways, headwinds, tailwinds, gas station meals, and all of the people who Lachlan met along the way. 

The Great Southern Country, our film about Lachlan's Around Australia Record, presented by Cannondale and POC, is out now on the EF Pro Cycling YouTube channel..

It is a story of endurance, how great challenges bring people together. And it is a story about Australia in all of its rugged beauty.

During his ride, Lachlan raised over $140,000 AUD for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, to provide books and learning resources to Indigenous children living in remote Communities across his home country. You can still donate at: https://fundraising.ilf.org.au/lachla...

https://youtu.be/XW1F79sfftA?si=yw6K3yyxvsGIATra

Sam & Kirsty

samwhite@baldblair.com.au 0438 792 140

Kirstywhite@baldblair.com.au 0427 722 908