WHEN Dallas Schuller returned to the Riverina with his wife Janine and two young sons 24 years ago he would not have thought in his wildest dreams he would end up general manager of a 3000-head feedlot at Culcairn.
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And especially one owned by a Japanese company, Ashleigh Park, that he would go on to become a director of.
“My wife and I were originally from this region but went to Queensland to live,” he said.
“When we returned we were going to go into business with Janine’s family but we took a different direction.
“I was driving past one day and went in to see about a job. I ended up where I am and my son Greg, now 26, is the livestock manager.”
But the family is by no means one-dimensional and also owns a shorthorn stud and commercial operation, Outback Shorthorns, on the same property.
Dallas’s son Jeff, 28, who is a feedlot operator in central Queensland, along with daughter Kylie, 24, from Sydney, are also a part of Outback Shorthorns, with Kylie looking after the company’s website and online marketing.
While this region is not usually shorthorn country, Dallas is a big fan.
“They’re functional, marble as well as angus, have a better growth rate and their carcase is as good or better than angus when used in a cross-breeding situation,” he said.
“They’re also easier to handle than most cattle and they are adaptable to many markets.
“And they are also about the only breed that you can cross with angus that enhances angus.”
Greg has the day-to-day control of the herd.
“We run about 150 commercial cows and about 150 stud cows,” he said.
“The cows are in together — the stud cows don’t get special treatment — and they calve twice a year, generally with a shorthorn bull over them but also other breeds such as a wagyu, although we do have five, top-quality stud bulls.
“The heifers go to a leased property at Wymah, where they are joined at about 13 months and return here to Culcairn just before they calve.
“We send the bulls to Sprys Shorthorns at Wagga and they mix with their herd.
“That complements their genetic pool and they then market the bulls through two on-property sales — at Wagga in the autumn and Tamorth in the spring, which will take place next Wednesday.”
The Schullers have a heavy focus on the care and well-being of their animals.
“It is like a five-star hotel in the feedlot,” Greg said.
“It is an open, roofed area with concrete floors covered in sawdust and serviced by roof fans while they are fed twice a day, have easy access to water and bedding.
“Sometimes they look at us running around in the heat as if we are the mad ones.
“You can not improve an animal’s genetics.
“Anything you do can take away from that; our job is to ensure they reach their full genetic potential.”
Because of the environmental sensitivity of the feedlot and its proximity to the township, everything has to be spot on.
“We run the feedlot under the standards set out by the National Feedlot Accreditation Service and are audited or inspected by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Greater Hume Shire Council and Ausmeat (in respect to the NFAS guidelines),” Dallas said.
“All rain is collected from the roof and run into tanks and recycled as drinking water for the cattle; so there is no run-off.
“We are also focused on providing the best environment we can for our shorthorn herd and work with the local Catchment Management Authority and Landcare group on providing that for our cattle.”
