Bell's Angus Ambassador

Held in Toowoomba last month, the Angus Youth Roundup involved 150 young cattle enthusiasts heading to a four-day extravaganza of all things Angus, with Mr McGregor taking home the top gong.

Running his own small Angus stud with the help of his brother and younger sister, Mr McGregor was among participants aged eight to 25 who shared his passion for cattle handling and the Angus breed.

“We spent time doing activities and learning about the breed,” he said. “It was a great experience.”

The win will mean Mr McGregor now has the opportunity to attend numerous beef industry events and self-development activities throughout the year, including the Angus Youth Leadership Clinic.

Mr McGregor was also awarded a $500 educational allowance, along with the Lanark Angus SA Junior Heifer Expo award.

“The ambassadorship program helps to promote the breed and society, and the scholarship will see me head to South Australia for the expo in July and that’ll be really good,” he said.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they produce and show their cattle, and I’ll get to look at the different industry classes.”

Financing and managing his own small Angus herd and marketing directly from the farm gate, Angus spends most of his time in Dalby working as a second-year apprentice fitter and turner with Ostwald Bros.

“You can’t really run a small operation like ours without any other financial input, and the people I work for are very supportive.

“I also get a lot of help from my siblings Kait and William through the week and then I come home on the weekends.

“We’ve run the stud for four years now and have 15 cows and heifers. “It’s not big but it’s manageable, and it’s great to be able to see what you’re capable of achieving and making goals to work towards.

“I’d love to get the line of cattle meeting market specifications and make a bit of a name for ourselves.

“We’re getting a few cattle together now and breeding better quality animals through an AI program using international genetics from Canada and Scotland.”

Mr McGregor said he was especially proud of the calves from the recent season, and is looking forward to breaking them in and showing them at the local show next year.

“I started showing cattle at local Angus youth camps at Bell, and that’s where I learned all the techniques and one of the biggest reasons I got involved in the industry.

“You’ve got to be patient with getting the calves ready, but there’s always reward in it, even if you don’t place – it’s all about the experience.

“The youth camps certainly made me keen to breed Angus cattle and everyone always has a lot of fun.”

Making new friends with a common interest in the breed is what keeps Mr McGregor coming back for more.

“I head home as often as I can. Mum and dad live out at Bell and you’ve always got something on the go.”

Mr McGregor said the family farm had escaped the worst of the drought with the cattle currently being fed out on pasture.

“We’ve got a mixture of legumes and blue grass. It’s dry out here but we’re not struggling to get water to the cattle and, although there’s not much feed left, it’s

just like everywhere else.”

After heading to the Bell Show in March, Mr McGregor will be up against a number of top-quality breeders.

“I love heading along to the shows and having a look at what other producers have done with their cattle and how they’ve prepared them.

“You can talk to them, and most people are willing to chat about how they do things and share that industry knowledge, and I’m still young so I feel like I definitely have things left to learn.”