News

Drought & fire were a catalyst for change at Trio Angus. Matt & Shell realised they needed a more integrated approach to their bull breeding operation. The result is a program that provides clarity, and now equally focuses on soil health, grazing management & genetics. Combined with a strong belief in people and connection, Matt & Shell are creating a sustainable farm and better life to enjoy with their twin boys, Eli & Owen. Productive livestock. Healthy land. Happy people.

Each year in January we spend two days planning for the year ahead. We’re still learning & fine-tuning this process, but this is what it looked like for us this year….

‘Happy New Year to all our friends! We hope over the Christmas period you’ve had some time to relax & recharge, ready for the year ahead’

Spring joining is now well underway in the local district. During this time regular monitoring of your bulls is paramount.

Are you looking to buy calving ease bulls this season? Follow these simple steps to pick the right bulls & bid with more confidence & less stress on sale day.

Many breeders are considering doing an AI program as part of their herd rebuilding strategy. Here are our Top 5 Tips to consider……

Last week we made the trek to Wilmot Cattle Co, near Ebor, for a two day field day. The event was run by Maia Grazing & focused on using holistic grazing management to improve ecological & financial profitability. Our key take home message from the event was a comment made by Terry McCosker:

‘Mother nature knows what’s best, we just need to get out of the way & be patient’

2500km. 640 bulls. 2.5 days.
We did a whirlwind trip down south to suss out a few potential new sires last month. After some nervous AuctionsPlus bidding, we’ve managed to secure two of the bulls on our wish list so far!

We finally decided to bite the bullet & do the Grazing for Profit (GFP) school last week. Its been recommended to us by lots of people, but we just hadn’t got there yet. If you’re thinking about doing the course, here are some inside tips!

Cow-calf producers who make a living from their cows know fertility is by far the most important economic trait. Studies have shown that reproductive traits are twice as important as growth traits, which are twice as important as carcass traits. Ironically, the mainstream beef industry has been selecting almost exclusively for growth and carcass traits for the past 40 years – at the expense of reproduction.

Every season we recieve photos of cows that have had twin ‘Trio’ calves, but this year we seemed to have received even more than normal! Here are some facts about twin calves & some of the problems they can create, written by local vet, Bronte Sutton from Suttons Livestock:

Is it possible to buy a dud bull – one who’s not interested in breeding cows? Here are some insights…

With lots of new faces on our email list we thought it was time to introduce ourselves again!

We’ve been busy this week collecting tissue samples from all the calves born in this Autumn. This involves using a special applicator that takes small sample from the ear of the calf and secures it in a vial. This sample is then sent to the lab for testing.

We saw this great idea on the ABC Landline Facebook page – using old tyres to make comfy dog beds!

How many of your cows would get pregnant with no inputs?
Check out this video with David Pratt from RMC, he discusses the cost of targeting high concept rates. Great food for thought. View the video

If cow-calf producers want to have a prosperous future, they will need to make some major changes. The sooner they take the first step, the sooner they will reach their destination. I will review 10 steps required to get on the right road. These steps are not difficult – but they will require a paradigm shift.

We’ve just finished an online farm business program called ‘Take Control’ through the Farm Owners Academy. A key module in the course was ‘Take Control of Your Time’. We thought we’d share the top three lessons that stood out to us…

We’ve just arrived home from the Top Producers Workshop in Adelaide. This was a two day event hosted by the Farm Owners Academy with a focus on increasing farm profitability & learning how to run a better business.

We were excited to have Trio Angus featured on Page 4 of the most recent HMI Magazine. We were contacted after the editor heard about our work with Dick Richardson and the new grazing strategies we’ve been implementing. 

Like many breeders in the area, our calves have been weaned since November. We thought we would give some insight into what’s been working well for us & what hasn’t.

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, be sure to subscribe to the Profitable Farmer podcast with Andrew Roberts from the Farm Owners Academy. It’s an informative and thought-provoking listen as he discusses the skills you need to run a successful farming business.

In this article Kit Pharo discusses the impact a heavy calf can have on a cows ability to rebreed.

In this article David McLean from RCS explains how high productivity doesn’t automatically equal higher profitability.

This week marks two years since the Sir Ivan Bush Fire raged through our farm & created chaos in our community. Thankyou to everyone for their amazing help & support since then. Here’s a video sharing our story