Ron’s Story

“My relationship with stud stock started when I was a boy at school.

It began when Dad and Uncle put a Murray Grey over some Jerseys. The results were remarkable, and they then bought stud Greys each year. By 1962 our family owned enough pure-bred Greys to become foundation members of the Murray Grey Society. By the time I reached sixteen, Mum and I were doing all the recording, tattooing and bookwork associated with the stud cattle. And by twenty-one I had broken in many bulls and had been to a lot of shows. I even achieved my dream of winning a junior broad ribbon in Sydney, and provided a steer that secured the Stan Haven Cup that same year.

I began purchasing my own land, building a business as a Murray Grey stud and seed stock breeder. I continued to attend shows, locally and in Sydney and Melbourne. The Wodonga annual sale in 1973 was a highlight, where my bull Rajah made second top price ($12,750) for the year. Three years later Rajah’s new Queensland owner sent me a letter of appreciation, including photos of the bull amongst his cows.

By the late 1980s I had a wife, three kids, and seven thousand acres. Unfortunately, the breed had then become contaminated. Growth rates and size had improved. But this had destroyed the breed’s great benefit of nil calving trouble. The key moment for us was the purchase of a new stud sire that increased calf weights by over fifty per cent. Our clients soon began experiencing calving trouble. Although I had been a foundation member of the Society, and we had achieved much with the breed, my wife and I decided to close our Murray Grey Stud.

With help, we now manage about fourteen thousand acres stocked with Merino sheep and Angus. During our time with Murray Greys I acquired knowledge of Angus through a breeding up program. I visited studs and, along with family, purchased many females for the program.  Our Angus commercial herd has grown with the size of the farm. The stud exists to optimise the income of this enterprise. We have thus far produced bulls for the commercial herd, and the stud has about two hundred and fifty females. Until recently, our joining program for our stud females was a blanket A.I. program. We used semen from sires of note that we believed would breed the best possible commercial cattle.

Now, though the advice of our experienced and talented stud cattle manager, we begin to offer our bulls to others.

We approach this new enterprise with the same diligence we apply to our Merino Stud business. For more than twenty-five years we have had an annual, on-property sale supplying Merino rams to local farmers. It had been the late John Pike, my colleague and an excellent Merino man, who suggested I start selling rams. I agreed, but with the following cautionary advice: ‘It is one thing producing seed stock for yourself. But once you start selling something that is going to become someone else’s livelihood you must be very careful’.

I would not commence selling bulls without a person like our current manager. He is a diligent man, a good stockman, and understands cattle. In 2021 he purchased for us a bull with good figures from Kenny’s Creek. He also promoted our latest quality purchase from Texas in August 2021: ‘Top Gun’.

I like ‘Top Gun’, and am eager to see his progeny.  I feed him morning and night with pellets because he is just two years old and has already worked hard for his age. He went straight to the A.I. centre after we purchased him, and he then came to our farm for physical mating. There will be many little Top Guns next year.

You may wonder why, in my seventies, am I doing this. I think of Gerry Harvey when he said, ‘Please don’t take my horses away from me’. Like him, I love my stock and I love farming. So, while ever I am able, I will farm and continue farming and producing the best produce and stock I, with help, am able.”

- Ron Blyth