Butcher turned farmer John Pendergast will follow in his parents' footsteps next month when he sells his first consignment of Hereford calves, 12 months after the death of his father, Graeme.
Mr Pendergast farms with his wife Amanda at Benambra, with their property overlooking the iconic Lake Omeo.
The family will sell 130 mixed-sex Hereford calves, including 85 steers, April/May-drop, Karoonda Park-blood, under Mr Pendergast's parents' names, AJ & SM Pendergast.
"I'd nearly notched up my four-year apprenticeship with him," Mr Pendergast said.
"I must have been only a couple of months short, but it was a good time working with the old man."
His father died on March 18 last year, less than two weeks after the 2023 Mountain Calf Sales.
He left behind his wife of almost 50 years Sheila, and their three children and families.
"In the end, it was a bit of a shock to all the family members," Mr Pendergast said.
Mr Pendergast was the local butcher at Omeo for 14 years, but decided to cut his career short to focus on farming in 2019, just months before the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Pendergast, who also works on the farm, is captain of the Benambra Fire Brigade, while their children Emily, 16, and Jake, 11, attend school in Bairnsdale and Swifts Creek, and enjoy helping on the farm when they are home.
"I've kept the cattle up with Dad's standards and the list of breed attributes is pretty long," he said.
"People are flat out on figures and this, that and the other, but as a butcher I go and look at the animal and see how they're travelling.
"Colour and shape are important, we want a good, sound bull that can give you as many calves as he can."
In the past, Mr Pendergast has sold cattle with his parents, but this year will mark the first time he has sold cattle as a standalone vendor.
"I guess what Amanda and I are doing is carrying on his legacy," he said.
"Mum acts as an overseer and is always there to impart her experience on what we're doing."
The 130 calves were born and bred on the family's 220-hectare Beloka property and weaned in January before they were brought home to the Benambra property.
"We actually weaned on January 10 which is a lot earlier than what Dad would have done, so we trucked those calves back into Benambra and mixed them up together," Mr Pendergast said.
"They ran around the house here for three or four weeks.
"For the first few days, they do nothing but run and moo, but after that they just settle down and start eating and drinking."
He said weaning the April and May 2023-drop calves a few months earlier gave his cows a chance to rest before joining, and allowed him to work with his calves and quieten them down.
"I pride myself on nice, quiet cattle and whoever buys them will find these cattle will continue to put on weight as they have done here," he said.
"The cattle have different personalities and markings, but their temperament is all the same - quiet."
In the past, the Pendergast cattle have been bought by a mix of interstate and local buyers, including Injemira Beef Genetics at Holbrook, NSW.
"We spend a lot of time getting our cattle right so when they get off the truck, they just start eating and continue to gain weight," Mr Pendergast said.
"We hope the support of buyers will be as strong as it has been in previous years and prices will continue to be as strong as we've seen."
Bryce Eishold
Bryce is a senior journalist with Australian Community Media's Stock & Land where he reports on all aspects of agriculture. Bryce is also the president of the Rural Press Club of Victoria. Email Bryce at bryce.eishold@stockandland.com.au.
Bryce is a senior journalist with Australian Community Media's Stock & Land where he reports on all aspects of agriculture. Bryce is also the president of the Rural Press Club of Victoria. Email Bryce at bryce.eishold@stockandland.com.au.
