AT Balfour Downs station, east Pilbara, genetics, investments and people are the three factors management has been focusing on to improve the business.
The Balfour Downs station, which is 1360 kilometres north of Perth, was acquired by TBG Agri Holdings management in 2014 and comprises of two main pastoral leases - Balfour Downs on 431,180 hectares and Wandanya on 202,824ha - totalling 634,004ha.
The property is running 13,000 head of Red Brahman/Droughtmaster cross Poll cattle, including 6500 breeders plus replacements and bulls.
Managing director Andrew Blythe said for their first year at Balfour, the focus was on reducing the number of cattle to achieve a sustainable stocking rate.
It then took three years of breeding to get to a point where the team was happy with the herd genetically.
There was also a heavy investment into the infrastructure, particularly around the homestead accommodation and amenities, as it was important to draw in people to work on the station.
The company also invested in the yards and fencing, with trap yards being installed in the more desert type country.
"After years of effort, we are finally at a point where we have got all of that right and it is a station that we enjoy visiting," Mr Blythe said.
Prior to the station being under TBG management, Poll Red Brahman cattle were run, with bulls being sourced from Queensland.
But not long after TBG took over running the station, the operation crossed to Droughtmaster cattle as they were well suited to the region
The Droughtmaster bulls were being sourced from the Thompson family's Munda stud.
Now they are gradually crossing back to Red Brahmans and are sourcing the genetics from Dalby, Queensland.
For this type of country, the Brahman and Droughtmaster cross work really well and Mr Blythe said that they were a pretty tough breed, suited to the local land systems.
"We source them from Queensland because they are on a similar weather pattern as Western Australia and the bulls seem to acclimatise well," Mr Blythe said.
He said they were the ideal breed as they are generally quiet, docile bulls.
"Traditionally in the area, there were a lot of Shorthorns but there isn't a huge market for them, while there is a strong market for Brahman cattle," he said.
In the beginning, Balfour Downs was mostly a breeding ground and the cattle were either sold to live shippers or the abattoir markets.
Some were even sold to secondary background feeders before going into feedlots.
This year the majority of the cattle were sold at the Muchea Livestock Centre and they have seen some strong prices.
Mr Blythe said that in the past producers have been price takers but with the strong values and a buoyant market they have had the ability to choose where and when the cattle were sold and still receive premium prices.
Mr Blythe said that they believed there will be another 12 months of good pricing given the overall national herd is down and the number of restockers in the market.
"We know that cattle numbers aren't going to meet the demand, so we should experience at least one more year of reasonable pricing," he said.
Generally, only one muster is done per year but with the strong season and continuous rainfall events, it was a drawn-out process.
A full second-round muster as late as November 1 had to be done to pick up any straggling cows and calves.
"It's a great station for mustering because there aren't too many trees around and it has good access," Mr Blythe said.
The cattle are taken back to the yards near the homestead and the weaners, weighing about 120 kilograms, are separated and put on pellets to assist with skeletal growth.
"With the challenging years the cows aren't necessarily back to their full capacity even with the good season this year so the pellets help to get them up to weight," Mr Blythe said.
Most of the older cattle that would be considered culls are kept in the herd to teach the younger cattle to go out and come back.
"It is the experience of the older cattle that we rely on," he said.
There is plenty of herbage and general natives on the station but Buffel grass, despite being an introduced species, has been a key feed source.
"The Buffel grass helps to keep the cattle away from the native species and, combined with the fertile land, it means that we don't have to supplement feed," Mr Blythe said.
When the cattle are processed at the homestead yards, they receive some hay for a short time and may also get some pellets but that is the only supplementary feeding done.
For the past two years the seasonal conditions were particularly challenging, with the station experiencing well below the average rainfall of 300 millimetres.
Across the property, there are 90 bores and dams and because the station is so well-watered the operation can survive a couple of low rainfall years.
"Dry years are just something that we have to deal with and react accordingly," Mr Blythe said.
This year's season offered some reprieve, with rainfall well and truly exceeding the average.
"We had more than 600mm and along with all the things that we have been working on, it has really paid dividends this year," he said.
After a few tough years, Mr Blythe said it is nice to see the seasonal and market conditions equalise.
"Finally station owners can have a bit of a breather from being in a pressured environment of drought and low prices,'' he said.
"It is nice that the tables have turned even just for a little while, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath and, hopefully, another strong season is coming our way."
According to the weather forecasts, there could be up to six cyclone events this summer, which will bring early rain setting up the station for another bumper year.
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