The barefoot farmer might sound like a hippie tagline but for Don Louis, it's just a way of life.
Mr Louis and his wife Gail run cattle on a 162 hectare block of forest country outside Goomeri in the South Burnett region.
Locals know Mr Louis for his aversion to footwear, and friendly, always-up-for-a-chat persona, as well as a love for the Simmental breed.
Mr Louis' stud, Nangur Simmentals, gained its name from the Nangur Creek which runs through the property, consisting of rocky ridges and black soil flats which have been converted to cultivation paddocks.
Both locals and travellers are often seen slowing down along the highway to take a look at the golden Simmental cows and calves dotted around the green paddocks of Mr Louis' property, an aesthetic that he has worked hard to achieve.
For Mr Louis, Simmentals have always taken his fancy, after a friend introduced him to the breed in 1979, when he purchased his first bull.
Buying whatever breed of cows he could afford at the time, Mr Louis began putting the Simmental bulls over his commercial herd, before starting the stud in 1987.
"My idea with the stud on a small place is, basically whatever cattle you can run, you double your money," Mr Louis said.
Since then, Nangur stud has made a name for itself among other breeders and commercial graziers, with the majority of sales occurring in the paddock.
As the property is located on the corner of the Burnett and Bunya Highways, Mr Louis says he has not had to advertise much as sales often happen when passers-by call in to take a look.
The distinctive golden colour of Nangur Simmentals is something that Mr Louis has been carefully perfecting amongst his herd, selectively culling to achieve his ideal look.
However, it is not just the colouring that Mr Louis likes in his Simmentals, but also weight gain advantages and quiet temperaments.
"Even before I bought my first Simmental bull, I liked the bigger, chunkier-type cattle," he said.
"Simmentals are good growers, they respond well, they've got good weight for age.
"You can pump the feed into them when they're young and they'll just grow and grow, rather than getting fat and lazy.
"If you've got the feed for the golden one, I think they're a better, musclier animal.
"Moving cattle either on horse or a bike, you watch them from behind and you end up taking notice of their bums, and the golden calves seemed to me to have better bums than the red ones.
"I like the golden Simmentals so that's where I've changed and I'll cull to get that colour that I want."
Nangur sold 11 bulls at the Queensland Simmental Bull Sale at CQLX last year and will have another 11 go under the hammer at this year's sale.
Mr Louis was one of the breeders who orchestrated the sale after he and a group of vendors decided that there was a need for a multi-vendor Simmental sale in Queensland.
"It just came up in a conversation between a group of us and we thought we should put a sale together for smaller breeders," he said.
"As it turned out, there were bulls sold at the Queensland Simmental sale from every state in Australia."
A Nangur bull was also entered in the 2021 Sire Shootout competition, something Mr Louis said they would be interested in doing again this year and in the future.
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There are many things that make his operation unique, none more so than his ability to run a significant herd on a property that most would consider to be quite small.
Nangur currently stocks 175 head of cattle, including this year's calves.
Mr Louis said different practices, including cell grazing, pasture improvement, cultivation and irrigation have helped him to create a profitable business and make a life out of his passion for farming.
"Over the years I've been trying, experimenting, looking and listening.
"I believe cell grazing works where you've got higher rainfall near the coast, but we've adapted to it here since having improved pasture.
"We've adapted the hills, they might be bigger cells, but we've got over a hundred head of cattle with cows and calves, working in 40 or 50 acre paddocks. And then I alternate that with the paddocks around the creek and into the cultivation."
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Wynn cassia and siratro can be seen growing thick and fast around the property, as well as bluegrass, which Mr Louis says he likes due to its longevity and hardiness in the mixed climate.
Having worked on the Kilkivan Shire Council for 25 years and running a service station in Nanango with his wife, Mr Louis believes that the property would not be what it is today without their off-farm income.
Mr Louis is an example to young producers that you don't need huge amounts of land or fancy boots to get into the beef industry, just a passion for the land and a cracking work ethic.
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