At Gaye and Don Kirchner's property Templin Hills west of Boonah, there is deep contentment for having followed their dreams to run cattle rather than continue in the dairy industry where each were raised.
Now after decades of hard work, the pair have around 200 head including 100 breeders to produce steers for feedlots on their two properties which total 200ha.
"We run Charolais cross breeders in our herd," Mr Kirchner said as they walked across the paddock with their muster dogs Trixie and Sue.
"The recent rains have really helped our grass, we have never seen our pastures looking better in the past 40 years, " Mr Kirchner said.
"We had 75 millimetres the other day, this rain has been so beneficial, and the grass is in very, very good condition and so are our cattle."
The couple said the natural sandstone under the turf ensured effective drainage so their cattle were not standing in soggy paddocks.
And having exceptional pasture meant they have been able to easily add weight to the steers, Mr Kirchner said.
"We feed them up to 500kg for the feedlots and around 600kg for meatworks sales," he said.
"The quality of the pasture means we can put on at least 1kg a day and during peak season we have had cattle add more than 100kg over 90 days.
"The steers are usually sold to feedlots we usually turnover around 200 a year."
However, they said the volatility of recent cattle prices was a challenging issue and the current downtrend means they will probably hold onto the majority of their cattle until they feel prices offer sellers better value.
"Prices are in the doldrums," Mr Kirchner said.
"We will hold rather than sell until prices pick up, the short weeks leading up to Easter didn't help.
"Another issue is there's glut of cattle coming on which has to be dispersed but until then the market is a bit stagnant."
As well as managing his own herd, Mr Kirchner said he also liked his part-time work for local livestock agent Hayes & Co.
"We sell through them at Silverdale and I do some work there as a yardsman weighing up the cattle on scales at their sales," he said.
"It keeps me up to date with the industry and the market and I really enjoy it."
Mrs Kirchner was brought up at the property when it was a dairy farm which focused on producing quality cream, while her husband lived on a farm at Mt Alford.
The couple renamed the property Templin Hills after they married and decided to go with raising cattle rather than dairy.
"When dad retired we bought the property," Mrs Kirchner said.
"We pulled down the original homestead which was about 100 years old and needed a lot of work and built the present house."
In order to get their cattle business going, the pair also held down work off the property, with Mrs Kirchner employed at a school camp for 40 years and Mr Kirchner held a career in the water industry for a similar period.
One concern Mr and Mrs Kirchner said they would like to see more attention focused on is controlling invasive pests and weeds, which they said is "costing land owners more and more each year".
"For us cats claw creeper is really affecting endangered vine scrub," Mrs Kirchner said.
"We are at the stage we are unable to control it without some sort of assistance so the damage to the area will become irreversible."
The pair met and then courted at local dances and campdraft events where Mr Kirchner was a regular competitor.
He said he had very much enjoyed the thrills and spills the sport offered over the decades, but had decided to step back.
"I have not competed in a campdraft for the past 12 months, you're up against 20 and 30 year-olds who bounce more when they come off," he said with a smile.
"I used to use a horse for mustering too, but now I do the majority of it with the ATV with help from Trixie and Sue, but we still have a gelding here I occasionally ride."
Mrs Kirchner said she enjoyed retirement (not that her work ever stopped she joked) as she now had time for her beloved gardening, sewing and knitting.
But for Mr Kirchner, it's plain to see how after family, livestock has his heart.
"I just love the cattle industry," he said, sweeping his hat off and waving it at the paddocks.
'This is my life."
Know someone in your rural community with a story or got a news tip? Contact Alison Paterson on 0437 861 082.
