Toogoolawah cattleman, Paul Laycock is the new president of Droughtmaster Australia.
The High Country stud principal was elected at the board meeting following the society’s annual general meeting last Friday.
Doug Birch, Birch stud, Monto was elected vice president.
Paul, together with his veterinarian wife Lisa and children Stephanie and Michael, founded High Country Droughtmasters in 2010.
They now join 200 registered breeders, as well as holding the Performance Plus Droughtmaster Bull and Female sale on-property in August each year.
Paul grew up breeding his family’s stud Simmental cattle, encouraging him to complete a Certificate in Animal Husbandry and a Bachelors Degree in Rural Technology from the University of Queensland.
He worked on the Darling Downs for six years in both regional and production manager roles in large poultry enterprises, then worked on developing his in-laws’ design software and technology business, taking it from a company with less than five staff to a leading international company.
Mr Laycock said he wanted the board to continue to work side by side with its members to enable “all breeders, small and large, new and old to continue on with the tremendous success of the Droughtmaster breed and to grow and enhance their operations and achieve the success they seek for themselves and their families”.
“We will continue to demonstrate the Droughtmaster breed is highly profitable for commercial and seedstock breeders through its versatility to fit into a wide range of markets and production environments,” he said.
“We will continue to grow the strong market presence of the breed and work hard to plug into the developing markets both domestically and abroad.
“Our membership is strongly committed, so it’s time to harness this energy and enthusiasm and drive the breed towards further success.”
Incumbent directors Kevin Woolcock, Mostyndale Stud at Springsure and Doug Miles, Trafalgar Stud at Morinish were re-elected as national directors at the board meeting.
There will be two new faces – Sharon Harms, Oakmore Park stud at Greenmount was elected as southern zone director following the retirement of Michael Flynn, and Dean Allen, Western Reds stud at Longreach was elected as the third national director.