A young Henty farmer, who grew up in suburban Adelaide, is drawing inspiration for his fledgling Suffolk and Dorset studs from an unusual source.
Daniel Lutz, 24, said his inspiration for going into agriculture was his paternal grandparents, Klemi and Erich Lutz, of Northfield, who had a small holding in what was then East Germany. In Australia, they involved him in their home garden.
“I also had a passion for livestock, so everything came together, I suppose,” he said.
Mr Lutz said he completed high school at Urrbrae, South Australia’s only comprehensive special interest agricultural secondary school.
Two and a half years ago, he won his third state meat sheep junior judging title, at the Royal Adelaide Show.
“I have done a lot of junior judging and was the South Australian representative five times, in national championships,” Mr Lutz said.
“It’s been very good for me, I’ve built up skills with sheep and made very valuable contacts.”
Finishing at Urrbrae, he went on to complete a Diploma of Agriculture at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW.
Since then, he moved to Henty, to set up his two studs, Updown Park Suffolks, with 50 animals, and Loeffler Poll Dorsets, a flock of 120.
The Suffolks have Pamellen, Western Australia, Noble-Lee, Tasmania, and Pine Ridge, South Australia, bloodlines. The Poll Dorsets were pure Tattykeel – “they are a good, medium framed pure Poll Dorsets, that are a well-doing animal with great structure.
“I want to breed high muscle and medium framed stock that are true to type. I want to breed animals, which have commercial merit.”
At Henty, he currently has 45 hectares, with plans to expand, through leasing or buying more land.
Mr Lutz said he hoped to be able to sell his first Suffolks this year, with Dorsets coming on line in 2018.
He said while he was on LambPlan, he was concentrating on the physical aspects first.
“You need to have balance right, the structure and physical aspects of the animal are more important; you have to make sure you have everything right, then use the figures as a tool.”
While the studs were still in their infancy, Mr Lutz said he was working as a roustabout, while doing a traineeship with a contractor to help him become a classer.
“Rousting keeps me busy – it’s hard when you start out, you have a lot of costs coming in,” he said.
He was also awarded a Victorian government Upskill and Invest scholarship, this year, and said he intended to use the money to build some new ramps and yards for his shearing shed.
Mr Lutz said he would use the study grant for several small courses, including marketing and Lifetime Ewe.
His passion for agriculture also marked him out as an ambassador for the industry.
“There is no other industry which offers what agriculture offers – you have to be a jack of all trades, a mechanic, a welder, you have to know about animal health, and nutrition,” he said.
“It’s such a big field out there, there is something for everyone.
“Young people can put their mark on it and it has a very bright future.
“If you are interested, go and talk to farmers, do some work experience, and get involved.”
