Kallara Station improves goat bloodlines as demand grows

Along with one of their son, James, the McClures operate across 240,000 acres (97,124 hectares) that is fully fenced with hinge-joint that allows them to run around 12,000 Dorper and White Dorper breeding ewes and 3000 nanny goats.

"We are maybe at 70 per cent of our normal sheep numbers that can get up to around 18,000 breeding ewes," Mrs McClure said.

Their primary focus is the production of organic lamb, but in recent years they have moved out of cattle, turning their energy towards improving their goat bloodlines.

"Our goats were from a feral base that we have built on, keeping the nicer looking white and red coated ones, and joining them back to black and Kalahari Red bucks," she said.

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Having been ivolved in the goat industry for at least 15 years, they knew from trading that there was big demand for quality so made goats a focal point around five years ago.

"Goats had always been a long way behind lamb in terms of gross margin, but lambs boomed 10 years ago, goats boomed five years ago and prices went through the roof, and we recognised that and focused in on them more," Mr McClure said.

"We had seen over the years differences in weights from different parts of the western division where we had been buying goats from, and we realised the need to get better carcase," Mrs McClure said.

"Why run around looking after something that is nine kilograms when you could have something that is 14kg, that takes the same amount of time and effort to produce."

To boost their bloodlines, they purchased goats from Goombungee near Toowoomba, Qld, and recently they secured six bucks from the record-breaking Cobar Black and Red Goat Sale.

"There is no substitute for good quality genetics," Mr McClure said. "There is no reason why goats can't grow as quickly as lamb with the right genetics.

"We want to be at the point of the spear of sheep and goat genetics, and produce clean and green organic rangeland protein. We'd like to have 5000 nannies and 15,000 Dorpers ewes, and turn of 30,000 head a year."

Embracing Australian Sheep Breeding Values for the past 20 years, they want to do the same with goats. They used figures, particularly growth, when buying their most recent sires from Rangeland Red and Bunnaloo Black.

Over the years the McClures have marketed their goats in different ways, including carcase weight over the hooks, skin on and skin off. "The future is skin-on, under 16 kilograms, that is why we select for growth," Mr McClure said.

"Traditional goat demand used to peak from May to October, but we are looking at supplying them all year round (as we do with lambs) by special management of our grasses and our animals.

"If we can get them breeding when we want them to, and because they are polyestrous (breed with the season) if we keep the nutrition up the them, we are going to get more animals on the ground."

Kallara Station aims to turn over 25,000 organic lambs in a good season, at full production.

"We are targeting trade specifications, and over the last 20 years we have helped develop and build the domestic trade market of organic lamb through Arcadian (Organic Meats)," he said.

"Right at this point in time, the demand domestically is at a good level but with the return of a good season, a lot of opportunities will open up. We will focus on the international market when the domestic market saturates."

They would like to take goats the same way.

"There is huge opportunity for organic goat and once dentition starts to be recognised it will give us an increase in return, with a premium," he said.

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