Always adapting on the Monaro high country

For Phillip and Robyn Reid and their son Craig, at Yarrabin, Cooma, this has meant maintaining a complementary mix of sheep and cattle, as well as in more recent years introducing an Angus herd alongside their beloved Herefords to provide a balance between suitability to their country while continuing to respond to ever-changing markets.

A key time of year for the family is the offering of their annual drafts of Hereford and Angus steers though the Monaro weaner sales at Cooma.

This year, their pen of 25 Angus steers, weighing 335kg, received $1300 a head, while their 11 Hereford steers, weighing 330kg, made $980/hd.

A nostalgic Mrs Reid says she gets disappointed to see the difference in price for what is essentially the same package under the skin.

But she also believes their whiteface buyers recognised the value potential when they took their whiteface on to the end product.

Her husband said the breed always performed well on their country.

"We will continue to run Herefords, but have been gradually increasing our numbers of Angus - that is purely a response to demand," Mr Reid said.

Herefords have been the main breed on the family property Yarrabin, midway between Berridale and Adaminaby, since it was taken up by Phillip Reid's father, Alan, and uncle Eric, in 1945.

They had expanded the original family holding at Murlingbung, since sold out of the family four years ago and bred a self-replacing Merino flock along with the Hereford herd.

The pasture is mostly native, but the Reids have also developed certain areas with clover, phalaris, ryegrass and fescue and annual forage crops.

This supports their breeding herd, which at present includes 200 autumn-joined females, of which just eight older cows and five heifers were empty at pregnancy testing.

"When we started breeding Angus, if the heifers didn't have a first calf we sold them, and that lifted the fertility of our herd," Phillip Reid said.

Angus bulls have been sourced from Onslow Angus, Wallendbeen, and Kidman Angus, Dubbo, while the Hereford bulls have been selected from Kidman Herefords, Dubbo.

Temperament is a big selection point, along with correct conformation and a balanced frame.

"We must have quiet cattle that are easy to manage and calve with ease in our country," Mr Reid said.

"At the end of the day, it is about how you handle them, and we yard wean and get the calves used to being handled right from the start.

"We also focus on good feet because the cattle have to walk around the hills and where our paddocks are rocky."

Mr Reid noted they consider the prospective bull's figures, as well as birthweight, rib and rump fat.

"Buying Angus bulls from Doug Tozer, we consider bulls with no higher than +6.0 for birthweight, while with the Herefords we buy bulls with no more than +5.0 for birthweight," he said.

The cow herd on Yarrabin is complemented by a self-replacing flock of Merino sheep, classed by Sam Green, Elders, Cooma, and based on rams sourced from Cottage Park Merinos, Cooma.

The second run of classed Merino ewes are joined to Border Leicester rams.