A PRACTISING barrister to this day, David Stone and his wife, academic Georgina Pitt are proving that farming is for anyone who is willing to put in the hard yards.
After Mr Stone semi-retired 13 years ago, the pair decided a lifestyle change was needed and found themselves stumbling across the beautiful, undulating countryside that Manypeaks is, and purchased their own slice of paradise.
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Their 243 hectare property, Palmdale, is now home to a 100-head self-replacing, closed breeding herd that incorporates both Murray Grey and Gelbvieh genetics.
Starting out with a Gelbvieh breeding herd, the pair discovered the true enjoyment of the cattle farming industry, while running it as a business at the same time.
After exploring the world of cattle for a few years, and with the help of their neighbour Richard Metcalfe, the couple started to slowly switch over to the Murray Grey breed.
Since buying their first Murray Grey bull from the Metcalfe family's Melaleuca Murray Grey stud, they are now three generations into their Murray Grey-Gelbvieh cross cattle, with the herd predominantly made up of Murray Greys.
"We still keep a small amount of purebred Gelbvieh cows and a Gelbvieh bull to breed for our own enjoyment," Mr Stone said.
"They are great cows that we have bred and we don't want to completely get rid of them.
"We are pleased we gave the Murray Greys a chance, it was a good shift for us."
Mr Stone said the Murray Grey breed was very productive and possesses all of the traits they are looking for.
"They have a really great temperament which makes them very easy to handle," Mr Stone said.
"They have good conception rates and produce quality progeny, while having the ability to put on condition and maintain it.
"These are all the traits that make up a good breeder for us."
A 100 per cent natural breeding regime is the breeding method of choice at Palmdale, with all maiden heifers joined with the bulls at two-years old.
Mr Stone and Ms Pitt keep a total of seven bulls at the property, comprising six Murray Greys and one Gelbvieh.
Mr Metcalfe assists the couple when they are selecting bulls.
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"We aim to select something that has a good temperament, is sound and has a low birthweight figure," Mr Stone said.
"It has been great purchasing bulls from Richard, he is a reliable source and breeds very good quality bulls.
"His recommendations always prove to be right."
Depending on the season, bulls will be put in with the breeding herds anywhere from the middle of April to early May for a nine-week joining period.
The cows and heifers are joined separately, split into roughly four mobs of 25.
"Each mob will get a different bull and they will be rotated," Mr Stone said.
"We put one bull in with each mob and then change that bull after he has been in with the cows for two cycles."
The pair has noticed that joining the heifers as two-year-olds has put a strong spin on conception and calving rates.
"It gives a greater confidence in the calving outcome, the bigger they are the more chance they have of producing a better calf," Mr Stone said.
This theory has resulted in a 90-95pc conception rate average for years now, proving that a later joining works.
"This is also due to quality bulls and good cows, along with plenty of nutritious feed," Mr Stone said.
"We learnt very early to not run more cattle than the property could handle."
Any cows or heifers that are pregnancy tested empty will be sold, but not immediately.
"We don't have the numbers to send our dries to Harvey Beef, so we will hold onto them and sell them with cows which are being culled due to their age," Mr Stone said.
Calving commences in early February, with the majority of the calves all on the ground within nine weeks.
Calf marking and tagging is carried out during the calving period.
"This way we can identify the calves early so we know where they have come from in case the calf or cow becomes unwell or needs extra care," Mr Stone said.
Animal health treatments will be administered once all of the breeders have calved down and they will receive a 5in1 and Multimin vaccine, while a B12 vaccination is given to the breeders before calving.
Post-calving, the business theory is to retain 20-25 heifers, depending on the quality of that particular year's calf drop and keep all progeny on the property until they are nearly two-year olds.
Any heifers calves that aren't kept as breeding stock will go to Harvey Beef or the Mt Barker sales, while the steer progeny will also be sold as yearlings.
Mr Stone and Ms Pitt aim for a yearling sale weight of 550kg.
A yard weaning system is implemented when the calves are about seven to nine months old.
"The calves are weaned in their breeder mobs and we will wean one group at a time," Mr Stone said.
"Each group will be brought into the yards and drafted off of their mothers and kept in the yards for five days."
During this time, the cows will have nose-to-nose access to their calves across yard rails before being put out onto pasture once the weaning process is complete.
A basic rotational grazing method seems to be the way to go at Palmdale.
Due to the constant feed supply at the farm, the cattle are moved as Mr Stone and Ms Pitt deem necessary.
"We keep them in smaller paddocks, which makes the management easier," Mr Stone said.
"We will move them roughly once every 10 days."
Each year, they sow an annual fodder crop, along with ryegrass and this year, it was oats.
"We will sow about 20 hectares each year and then rest the paddocks we have sown the following year before they are reseeded again," Mr Stone said.
An additional 20ha is dedicated to silage and hay as a feed source for the summer months.
"We haven't done silage in five years but decided to do it again this past season due to uncertainties with the weather," he said.
All-in-all, Mr Stone and Ms Pitt said since owning the farm they have relied heavily on advice and to help establish and run the operation, proving that farming can be for anyone.
They said their stock agent, Nutrien Livestock Great Southern manager Bob Pumphrey, had been incredibly helpful throughout their journey, along with their neighbours, the Metcalfes, the Blythes, the Shillings and the Pughs (from whom they sourced their Gelbvieh herd).
"Our friends Wayne Moir and Jono Biddulph have given us really great practical help and advice," Mr Stone said.
"They have all been such a great help and we appreciate it so much."
Another handy tool used by the couple is the CSBP fertiliser program which they have been using since purchasing the farm.
"We send off soil samples and CSBP will advise what and what not to use, as well as supply us with great advice," he said.
