Kilterry story on show

Located 90 kilometres north east of Julia Creek, Kilterry Station started off as a sheep enterprise in its early days, before markets forcefully changed their commercial operation to cattle.

Bob said his property was one of the final two to change from sheep to cattle, north of the railway line. 

“In the early days, Dad used to talk about there being 100,000 sheep north of Nelia, now it is very much cattle country,” he said.

Now a cattle enterprise, Kilterry Station carries 10,000 commercial head of Santa Gertrudis cross Brahman and a stud of 300 head.

“We buy our bulls from down south and bring them here. We are trying to breed an animal that can gain our carcase weight and be acclimatised to the environment in the north and still meet a southern market,” Mr Lord said.

Before a failed wet season in 2013 and a series of dry years that followed, Kilterry Station had more than 400 head in the stud – but the drought took a heavy toll.

“When we came out of the drought we found there were some cows that were very superior after one of the most severe tests you could put a stud through,” he said.

“The bloodline that survived we have honed down on, because when times were tough they kept condition. The ones we noted didn’t do so well, we let them go. 

“So as far as adaptability goes it is something the stud will be able to carry through.”

The station has ventured into cropping, sowing forage sorghum and more recently barley.

“Cropping has always been in the family over the years. It was brought on by the drought trying to grow fodder for our weaners to keep our progeny going forward,” Mr Lord said.

“We plant 50 hectares and grow enough feed to support 1000 weaners or to background some cattle to get into a market.”

Mr Lord said exploring barley was a gamble – but would be used as a cash flow to the horse market and to prepare his cattle for market.

“It does have its pros and cons and it is still too soon to tell how our crop will shape up this season. 

“We have watched different producers harvest cereal crops over the years with varying results. Cropping out here is also difficult due to location and rainfall.

“We use artesian water to irrigate our crops. We are still working with the government to try and relieve help with licences, otherwise we do have a small dam near the house that we use as a back up.

“The artesian water is very helpful but it is still a small amount of water in relation to grow a crop for our amount of cattle.”

Mr Lord said something his family had struggled with over the years was old farming equipment.

“Farming out here is not as popular as cattle. If you need a road train or a helicopter there is an abundance.”