The warmth, the lack of frosts and the timely and abundant rain have combined to produce magnificent pastures that continue to grow throughout the coldest months.

As a result, beef producers are grinning from ear to ear.

The Locke family, who operate Wirruna Poll Herefords, are preparing for a ripping spring, kicked off with their bull and female sale on August 27.

Mr Locke compares this season with that of 1956, a very wet year when it rained “every three days”.

“The road broke down between Tarcutta and Holbrook, the Hume Highway was just a shambles, it just got too wet,” he said.

He remembers trucks bogged outside the Wirruna gates and foot abscesses in sheep being a big problem.

“But there has been no other year since equivalent to this one for warmth and rain, absolutely, without doubt,” Mr Locke said.

“It stayed warm until the shortest day of the year, there were no frosts and the rain was on time and regular when needed.

“So the ground is responding very well.

“I hope it continues; we always need that rain in September and October.”

Mr Locke’s parents Aubrey and Ruby established the Holbrook stud in 1949. He took the reins in the 1970s and led a major change in the stud industry when he left showing to become involved in the National Beef Recording Scheme and a stud group called Performance Plus.

“The rules in that little group were no showing, no foot trimming and all animals to be recorded in the National Beef Recording Scheme,” Mr Locke said.

“Showing did not bring out the economic value; it didn’t show up superior cattle, it showed up the ability of the feeder.

“From there on, we felt we went onto improve our cattle, we bred bulls that were more economically valuable to the purchaser, especially when they could be identified with the dollar index.”

His son Ian took over in the early 1990s and further pursued the recording of performance figures.

“It took a long time for that recording to be of value,” Mr Locke admitted.

“But to give up showing and go into genetic gain, still maintaining breed qualities, was to put much more emphasis on their ability to gain weight and their structure.”

Ian Locke is now preparing for the Southern Beef Week, a field day Wirruna has been involved in since its inception, and their August 27 sale.

He will offer 60 bulls and 30 pregnancy-tested in calf females at the on-property sale.