Travelling preg tester loves getting hands dirty on stations

It was the biggest decision of her life but meeting people, travelling, having “surreal” experiences and eating “homemade cookies” has made the decision to start her own cattle services business worth it.

Dongara-based Imperial Bovine Breeding Services owner-operator Billi Marshall has been pregnancy testing cattle across WA for the past two years working off “word of mouth” to assist producers in their herd management programs.

Ms Marshall grew up in the Mid West region and has been involved in agriculture all her life, choosing to enter the livestock industry during her time at the Catholic Agricultural College Bindoon.

Since purchasing the preg testing side of the business off Dr Matt Carrick from Bos Vet & Rural in 2021 she has been working to increase business, particularly in station country.

She doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty in the cattle yards, so long as there’s a shower available at the end of the day — which she’ll travel 100kms for if need be.

Regular travel between the Pilbara and the Great Southern region, preg testing cattle, has provided her with insights into what producers need, which is why she has begun “freeze branding” as an extra service to clients looking to better identify their cattle from a distance.

Ms Marshall can easily clock up 100,000km per year travelling by road, and has flown into remote areas in light aircraft when required at short notice — staying in farm accommodation or “swaging it” next to the yards.

Up to three months of the year is spent in the Pilbara during mustering, preg testing about 5000 cows in that time.

“I do the northern run between June and September and the southern run between October and March,” she said.

“It depends on the season as some pastoralists can muster early or producers can finish harvest early to offload cows.”

She doesn’t need her arm twisted to make the long journey north — “I’ll just go up there for the homemade cookies”.

Being involved in the northern cattle industry meant supporting the live export trade, which makes up about 30-40 per cent of her business.

“I preg test export cattle to determine whether they are in calf or not and whether they are suitable, or it’s safe for them to go on a boat,” she said.

“It’s a dirty job, but I love it.

There’s a shortage of veterinarians in WA which has left pastoralists without access to preg testing services in the past.

Her goal as an accredited preg tester is to make up for that shortfall.

One of the highlights of the job was being able to “feel a calf move around” inside the cow.

“Sometimes people notice I’ve stopped and they ask if there’s a problem but I’m just enjoying the moment,” Ms Marshall said.

“It’s a surreal experience — you can feel the legs and head and make out its features.”

Meeting people always makes for an enjoyable trip across the State and is also “one of the highlights” of the job.

Ms Marshall has volunteered at the Mingenew Mid West Expo for the past five years and has been the Expo committee’s vice president overseeing the livestock and young farmers competitions for the past two years.