Ardcairnie Angus Stud and Maybenup property on the market

In today’s challenging environment, a newly acquired business venture that is in the black makes perfectly good sense.

Kojonup Angus seed stock producers Jim and Pam McGregor are offering such an opportunity with the sale of their business, Ardcairnie Angus Stud, via expression of interest through Elders.

Their farming property, Maybenup, is also on the market.

“We decided it was time for a change in our lives,” Mrs McGregor said.

From Scottish farming upbringing, the couple, who saw their future in cattle, emigrated to WA in 1973 with their two young sons, Neil and Ross, to follow their dream.

They acquired their first farm that year at Denbarker and ran a mix of cattle breeds, but it was the Angus females that were the most consistent in producing and raising calves.

“We began producing full-blood Angus cattle thereafter,” Mr McGregor said.

Ardcairnie Angus, established in 1985, followed a pursuit of stud excellence which would expand at the McGregors’ new Kojonup property, Maybenup, in 1998.

All of the stud’s females have been duly recorded in the Angus Society Stud Register.

Mr McGregor was influenced by Glentrevor Herefords breeder John Yelland, who ran his stud cattle under strict commercial conditions and presented his sale bulls in working condition, a regime the McGregors have followed since their first on-farm sale.

Ardcairnie Stud bulls were entered into the grass-fed Kojonup Bull Trials (1977-97) which compared bull entrant animals within breed on a level playing field because they were run under similar conditions.

“When the bull trials were discontinued, the Angus Breedplan system was well established and enabled within-herd and between- herd comparisons within a breed without the animals having to leave the farm,” Mr McGregor said.

The McGregors have also had three bulls selected for Cohorts three, six and nine of Angus Australia’s Angus Sire Benchmarking Program.

“One of our bulls, Ardcairnie J27, ranked in the top 10 per cent as a participant in the sixth Cohort, recording the most highly ranked traits of any other bull,” Mrs McGregor said.

The McGregors’ breeding objectives were strict on selection protocols through visual assessment, temperament and the use of Estimated Breeding Values as developed by the Agricultural Business Research Institute at the University of New England in Armidale.

“Our aim was to breed a well-balanced animal capable of performing in a wide variety of environments,” Mr McGregor said.

“We sourced a wide range of genetics through semen sires for diversity of the gene pool which resulted in a low inbreeding coefficient.

“We feel our herd can hold its own anywhere in Australia.”

The McGregors have appreciated the marketing behind Angus.

“It has global impact and is well known as a premium quality product which continues to build the Angus brand as one of the most identifiable,” Mrs McGregor said.

“Angus cattle breeders enjoy consistent strong returns through lucrative contracts with grass and feedlot finishers.”

Elders stud stock agent Deane Allen said there had been strong interest in Ardcairnie from three WA sources.