First generation farmers Asher Goddard, 31 and Patrick O'Dea, 34 started with an empty bush block in a low rainfall zone and a vision of breeding and selling the finest Simmentals.
Over time, the hard-working couple have pulled all their resources together and built a small but steady Simmental stud - Bradford Cattle Co.
While neither of the two grew up around cattle or within agriculture, the young couple bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the business, which started in 2019.
Their 32-hectare farm is in Orange Springs and has the Moore River running through it.
When Mr O'Dea and his father Michael repurchased the block eight years ago, it was vacant with a single powerline on it.
Every piece of infrastructure was gradually built by hand, including their home - built only three years ago - and all the machinery is second-hand.
It was a lucky purchase, as Mr O'Dea's family had previously owned the block of land when he was 14-years-old.
When he was 17, they sold it, but 10 years later it came back on the market.
"I was like, 'we're getting that farm'," Mr O'Dea said.
"I always had it in the back of my mind that one day I'd try to get it back.
"I've got an attachment to it, we'd come and run amok up here when I was a kid, when there was nothing here," he said.
Ms Goddard grew up in Perth and graduated with an animal science degree from Murdoch University in 2013.
She went on to complete her honours in meat science.
Ms Goddard spent many years working in the feedlot industry, then moved into beef processing and became a Meat Standards Australia grader.
While working in feedlotting Ms Goddard was exposed to the variety of breeds available in WA, on a commercial scale, as well as the meat supply chain as a whole.
She also worked showing cattle at the Sydney Royal Show and, seeing the calibre of Simmentals there, she wanted to replicate their type in WA.
These experiences formed her love for the Simmental breed.
"The majority of Simmentals I had seen over here were larger frame, traditional types, whereas I was more interested in the moderate, deep, easy doing type cattle," Ms Goddard said.
"Through working in the beef supply chain I have seen which breeds perform on a commercial scale.
"That's what made me choose the Simmental, you can see how commercially viable they are, they're good do-ers and they have excellent meat quality."
The couple hope to bring Simmentals into the spotlight and change public perception about what breeds are used for beef.
The most well-known breed for meat is typically Angus, but Ms Goddard said she can see value in using a Simmental over Angus bloodlines to produce a more productive commercial calf.
Ms Goddard has spent a lot of time researching Simmental genetics.
To diversify the offering in WA, she has sourced embryos from the Eastern States and Canada.
They're aiming for a Simmental which is hardy in drought conditions, easy-doing and doesn't need as much feed.
So far, they've had affirming feedback from customers in previous years, praising their bulls' high conception rates and quiet temperaments.
But using embryos is an expensive and risky business.
With some embryos costing $1200 per egg with only a 50-60 per cent chance of it taking, it's a huge gamble.
The two purchased recipient cows from Esperance veterinarian and breeder Enoch Bergman and feedlotter and breeder Ivan Rogers, whom Ms Goddard previously worked for.
They credit their success to well-known cattle breeding specialist Richard Hall, who bred their embryo cattle.
"He's worth his weight in gold because he's the best in the business," Mr O'Dea said.
Mr Hall has guided the couple through the technicalities of artificial breeding, such as synchronising the cows' cycles for success.
This has resulted in 80 per cent of recipients with a live calf for the past two years of embryo transfer (ET) breeding.
By working small, they're able to perfect their genetics and are working towards a strong herd of females, with a goal of about 40 purebreds.
They breed both solid red and black Simmentals to suit the differences between northern and southern environments.
Three young bulls will be on the market in March this year.
A red Simmental will be heading for the Gingin bull sale as he is well-suited to the northern areas.
The bull is an ET calf and brother to the $32,000 top selling bull of the 2022 Simmental National Sale.
Two black bulls will be offered at the WA Supreme bull sale in Brunswick.
These bulls were shown at the Perth Royal Show, where one was selected as the reserve champion.
"We're a small stud but we only sell the best, we would never sell a bull that we're not proud of," Ms Goddard said.
Alan and Sharon Penfold, Salers breeders from Capel, took Ms Goddard under their wing when she started showing cattle and she credits them for teaching her the ropes.
Showing is a major way of getting the Bradford Cattle Co. name out there.
As a small stud, putting themselves up against big breeders proves their cattle are high calibre.
"You've got to earn your spot, you can't be the new kid on the block and then think you can overtake all these breeders that have been doing it for 30 or 40 years," Mr O'Dea said.
They attended their first show, the Perth Royal Show in 2021, where they placed second.
Since then they've been awarded grand champion bull and female and supreme Simmental exhibit.
Before coming to the farm, Mr O'Dea worked at Barrow Island as a plumber, putting him in a financial position to start developing the farm.
Living in Perth and up and down the west coast for most of his life fostered a love of country life.
The two met in 2019, while both were showing cattle at the Perth Royal Show, and halfway through last year, celebrated the birth of their son Tanner.
Mr O'Dea has wanted to be a farmer since he was young, after visiting his grandmother's sheep farm in Williams.
"But I kind of fell into it, I wanted to do a few things in life but this opportunity arose," he said.
Once Mr O'Dea got into farming, he quickly felt the weight of nature working against him.
Being a small business is financially straining at the best of times, let alone starting from scratch.
"Everything is working against you, the weather, the foxes, the cockatoos eat your crop out of the ground," he said.
"You think there might be some money and then the price of feed goes up.
"You just hope the price of cattle is going to be reasonable.
"(The stress) it's on your mind,'' Mr O'Dea said.
"But we're having a go and we want to make a farming enterprise for him," Ms Goddard said, looking down at Tanner on her lap.
With the paddocks being particularly dry this year, all of the livestock are being supplementary fed with hay.
At the same time, they're focusing on irrigating the paddocks to establish better pastures with a strong seed base.
This year, another side of the business was introduced - carting - as a way of supplementing their income and diversifying their offerings.
"It's morphing into 'Bradford Cattle Co. and Cartage'," Ms Goddard said.
The name is in honour of Ms Goddard's late father, Bradford.
While they haven't inherited the know-how on running a farm business, the couple have been mentored by a wide network of industry professionals.
"There are a lot of young families like us and that gives you hope to all keep going through the harder times," Mr O'Dea said.
Ms Goddard said when they started breeding in 2019, she was told by other stud owners that it "would be 20 years before they made any money."
However the two aren't letting any negativity get to them.
"When you talk to other people and they tell you their story, how they started with nothing and ended up with an empire of sorts, it gives you the motivation to keep on going," Mr O'Dea said.
"What you put in is what you get out, nothing gets done unless you do it yourself."
