BREEDING and growing-out Poll Hereford cattle for premium markets has been the name of the game for the Poulsen family since buying into the pastorally rich St George district of south-west Queensland in 2001.
Originally from Gympie, John and Brenda Poulsen moved to St George with their sons Greg and Mark to buy the 7421 hectare (18,337ac) “Kullinjah”, which had previously been geared to broadacre farming.
The Poulsens put an end to that, and established Buffel grass to supplement the native pastures and restore the country to productive grazing for the Poll Hereford cattle they brought with them from Gympie.
Soon afterwards they bought the 15,967ha (39,454ac) “Wongalee” further south, along with its herd of Poll Herefords, and since then two more properties have been acquired, “Tippendale” of 10,111ha (24,984ac) in 2004 and “Waldor” of 11,440ha (28,269ac) in 2013.
This brought their holdings to a combined 45,000ha (111,000ac) of freehold country, strategically scattered within the triangle formed by St George, Bollon and Dirranbandi.
It’s a renowned grazing region of red and heavy grey loam soils, gidgee and melon-hole country with average rainfall of 425-450mm.
Native pastures have been augmented by successful establishment of Buffel on all four properties, and the country now has good grass cover following falls of up to 150mm since Christmas.
The properties are managed as an aggregation, carrying from 2500 to 3000 EU-accredited Poll Hereford breeders, with progeny grown out to feeder weights for grain finishing for local and export markets.
This is the package now offered for sale by tender, to enable the Poulsens to pursue a new grazing venture interstate.
They have listed the aggregation for sale with Brendan Devine of Elders St George, and buyers have the option of lodging bids for the whole, or for individual properties, with or without livestock and plant.
All four properties are watered by capped and piped artesian bores piping to tanks and troughs, an asset which - combined with the Buffel grass cover - enabled breeder numbers to be maintained throughout the recent three-year drought.
Prudent investment in infrastructure has resulted in the properties all now having fenced laneways connecting paddocks to steel cattle yards.
A PMAV (Property Map of Assessable Vegetation) is in place for each property, and the owners have recently completed regrowth control work over 6000ha of country on “Waldor”.
Offers for the “Kullinjah Aggregation” must be submitted to the selling agents by March 4, with recent sales in the district indicating a value range from $312-$500/ha ($125-$200/ac).
