The Boundary Rider's Report October 2025
The Boundary Rider’s Report October 2025
Welcome to the Bald Blair Angus Boundary Rider’s Report for October 2025.
School holidays are over and the short eight week term has commenced for Arthur. Abbott and Sam are looking forward to their trip to the USA with Dick Whale to look at the latest bull genetics and a stop over at Pearl Harbour on Remembrance Day - the bulls and battleships tour!
Kirsty has a new title of “Parks and Gardens” and is spending plenty of time on the mower with accompanying podcast or bookclub book - see notes below.
Season
We have had a good start to Spring, with good early rain. However, follow up rain is necessary.
Rainfall to date at Bald Blair 644mm, at Kolora 754mm, at Gatwood 638mm, at Aberfoyle 672mm.
Market
The cattle market remains strong, recent dip as more cattle come to market, however still well above levels 6 months ago. This market looks strong, and weather permitting it will remain so.
For more detailed reports you can check out Eastern States Young Cattle Indicator | Meat & Livestock Australia or subscribe to https://agritrends.com/
Save the date for the Bald Blair Angus Bull Sale: 1pm Tuesday, 4th August 2026
https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/event/bald-blair-angus-2026-bull-sale
Cattle
We have finished our first round of AI (Artificial Insemination) of the stud and commercial heifers and our stud cows. We were really happy with how the cattle are looking and have given initial vaccinations to our calves. Our team did a great job mustering, drafting and keeping the stock up to the AI team from Bovine Breeders. It was great to get our Stockbook crushside recording working well this year. We now look forward to watching for returns for our elite cows and heifers.
We have put the bulls out with our commercial cows and cover sires for some stud dams. We will be watching the bulls closely.
Calf marking of commercial calves starts this week. We will again be using Buccalgesic (pain relief) to ensure the calves cope with marking as best they can and don’t have any setbacks.
We have commercial semen available in Bald Blair Stirling S86, NBB21S86. Please keep an eye on the bulls in use in the Bald Blair herd, with some great new sires going out into Stud Use, Bald Blair Fair N Square U207, NBB23U207 and Bald Blair Quarterback V227, and Bald Blair Craftsman V228. Please contact us to discuss further.
https://www.baldblairangus.com.au/semem-sales
The back yards at Bald Blair have experienced a makeover with a new calf race, holding pen and branding set up. This will significantly improve our efficiency and safety in the back yards. Thank you to Taylor McDonald for your craftsmanship, very much appreciated.
We have been vigilant with our bloat blocks and have been able to withstand the first spring flush ok. For more resources on bloat check out these links.
Bloat: Bloat - Local Land Services
Download the Bloat Alert app Bloat Alert on the App Store
If you are looking for a resource to plan your livestock vaccination schedule check this out:
https://www2.zoetis.com.au/livestock-solutions/farmplanner
Sheep
Lamb marking is just around the corner. We have the numnuts (Pain relief) ready to go, an amazing product assisting in providing necessary pain relief, so lambs mother up quickly after the marking process. More information on numnuts can be found here: https://numnuts.au/
Weeds
Our team has been working really hard on the nodding thistles, however it is a relentless task that will continue indefinitely. We do not seem to be getting a break over winter, with growth of nodding thistles all year round at the moment.
Pastures
Thank you Dan Klabe for spreading super on Bald Blair, Gatwood and Kolora, it is great to have these places fully fertilised to ensure we get the most out of our pastures.
We have also reseeded a couple of paddocks with obvious gaps in them and have fixed the chain slip in the seeder.
Thank you also to Olivia and Col for spreading the liquid humus as part of our carbon project on a small area of our high performance pastures at Bald Blair with their drone. So far it looks good. We are looking forward to monitoring the results on this project.
Work Health and Safety
Here is a link to the Emergency Plus app https://www.emergencyplus.com.au/
Emergency+ is a free, Australia-wide mobile app from Australian emergency services that helps users call Triple Zero (000) and provides the caller's precise GPS coordinates to emergency operators. It also includes other emergency and non-emergency numbers for services like the State Emergency Service (SES) and Police Assistance Line, and uses what3words technology for more accurate location details, even in areas with poor mobile coverage. The app is available for download on platforms like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Succession Planning
This may be of interest, Cultivate Farms inspires Australians to see farming as a viable, fulfilling career. It builds skills and pathways for aspiring farm owners and aligns environmental and business goals. Through mentoring and practical help, it guides farm transitions, rejuvenates regional areas, and fosters sustainable, locally owned farming futures.
We're Back: Empowering Communities to Own the Future of Farming
While not Australian, but Canada’s farm whisperer: Elaine is your go-to expert for farm families who want better communication and conflict resolution to secure a successful farm transition.
Very good podcast - a recent one on dementia on farm was very interesting and a past episode with Isobel Knight from Proagtive.
Events
Congratulations to the New England Rural Women’s Day Luncheon committee for organising and hosting an outstanding event on Friday, 17 October at Achill Woolshed. The venue, the food, the company, the speakers, Emily Herbert, Jess Webb, Annabelle Hickson and Georgie Somerset were all outstanding. Highlights are on their instagram https://www.instagram.com/newenglandruralwomensday?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Efficient Beef Updates
It’s time to mark your calendars for the Efficient Beef Updates, an event designed to share the latest research and development findings with producers and industry representatives, from the Low-Methane Beef project and the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program.
Hosted on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, at the University of New England (UNE), this joint event between UNE, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD) and Angus Australia will highlight outcomes from the Low-Methane Beef project and the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program.
Following the presentations, attendees will enjoy a provided lunch before heading out to the UNE Tullimba Research Feedlot. This site visit will give producers and stakeholders the chance to inspect the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program Cohort 14 and Southern Multibreed steers firsthand.
The day will feature presentations on:
Measuring Methane on Pasture: What We’re Learning and Why It Matters
Unlocking the Past: Using Historical Data to Power Methane EBVs
Breeding Resilient Angus Cattle to Increase Efficiency
Principles for Selection of Methane
Shaping Tomorrow: The Future of Methane and Efficiency Research
Efficient Beef Updates - November 2025 - Angus Australia
Join
CSIRO for the Sustainable Chiswick Project Day on Wednesday 5 November 2025, 9am–3pm AEDT, at CSIRO’s Chiswick Research Station, Armidale NSW. This in-person event will showcase how Chiswick is becoming a testbed for agricultural sustainability, covering environmental, social, and economic aspects. The morning sessions will highlight work on natural capital, biodiversity, animal welfare, and data-driven farm decisions, with interactive discussions. After a hosted lunch, an optional workshop will explore natural capital reporting and sustainable landscapes. Registration is essential by 3 November 2025.
Sustainable Chiswick Project Day - CSIRO
Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment School
The Angus Foundation is thrilled to once again be offering five scholarships for young Angus Australia members to attend the highly regarded Tocal Beef Cattle Assessment School, proudly run by the Angus NSW Committee.
When: 1st–3rd December 2025
Where: Tocal Agricultural College, NSW
Recognised as Australia’s leading hands-on beef cattle selection course, this is your chance to gain real-world skills, build industry connections, and sharpen your beef cattle assessment ability — all while having your course costs covered!
Guyra Timepiece Campdraft
21 - 23 November 2025
Guyra Showground.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BXRkkqskf/
Merchandise
We have ordered another box of Bald Blair Angus Caps.
If you would like to pre-order please check them out here: https://www.baldblairangus.com.au/store
However if you would like a free cap - please provide a google review and we will send you one.
Free Training from MLA
Library - The Toolbox - MLA eLearning
Watching
https://www.youtube.com/@AngusAustralia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widow_Clicquot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Sarah
Reading
New book from NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development | 2025: From day-to-day operations to preparing for drought, managing risk, or applying for finance, the Farm Business Planning guide offers a step-by-step approach to building a whole-of-business plan that reflects the unique goals and circumstances of every unique farm business. As farmers work through the guide, they’re supported to complete a comprehensive Farm Business Plan—an essential document that can inform decision-making, support financial applications, and strengthen communication with family members, staff, and advisers.
https://shop.regional.nsw.gov.au/products/farm-business-planning?_pos=4&_sid=fd1b687c3&_ss=r
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_(novel)
Listening
Humans of Agriculture: https://humansofagriculture.com/ "Bringing people in": Anthony Lee's open door leadership style is shaping the future of red meat processing.
The podcast Australian Cattle and Beef Market Report by StoneX Group Inc. delivers weekly insights into Australia’s cattle and beef sector. It covers supply-demand shifts, pricing trends, weather impacts, export dynamics and future outlooks, helping producers, traders and industry stakeholders make informed decisions.
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-cattle-and-beef-market-report/id1792829333
If you have made it this far through The Boundary Rider’s Report - thank you - we really appreciate you taking the time to read our blog. Please reach out if you have any tips or tricks you would like to share or hear more about. Please also provide a google review and we will send you a new spur brand Bald Blair Angus Cap.
https://g.page/r/CX2u-V6b9j-TEAE/review
