The red-hot steer market has prompted one Alvie grass fattener and cattle trader to switch to raising cows calves and pregnancy tested heifers, as he aims to stay one step ahead.
Frank Eldridge, who says he grows out and trades beef cattle, switched from nearly 40 years of running a 300-cow dairy about four years ago.
When he moved to beef production, he initially bought in steers.
"Two years ago, we were selling finished steers for between $1900-1850, that was the end product," Mr Eldridge said.
"You might buy them in for between $1100-1200, now they are $1950."
He's the fourth generation to run the property with wife Kerrie, youngest daughter, Lily and one full-time worker.
At Colac's June store sale, Mr Eldridge was in the market for heifers, picking up a pen of 18 KA and DJ Harper's heifers for $1360 a head or 420 cents/kilogram.
"They will be fattened for two months, I'll put a bull in with them in August and, they'll calve next May," he said.
"They were in store condition so I got them just a little bit cheaper than if they were prime, when they would have been another $250 a head more."
He uses Moolaboola Pastoral, Pormborneit, low birthweight bulls, as well as joining Angus and Speckle Park cattle.
Mr Eldridge said in September last year, he felt steer prices were on the rise, so he switched away to buying cows and pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers.
"We now have 175 cows and heifers, with calves at foot, and 100 heifers, running with bulls, for autumn calving," he said.
"We are looking ahead all the time - we can either sell the cows and calves, at some stage, or we will just sell the vealers and keep the cows.
"We're in a new age - with these big saleyards, there are big numbers and you can always source something to trade."
Mr Eldridge said he aimed to look out for the trends, emerging in the market.
"I'm always at a sale, always looking, getting a feel for it.
"If you go around the sales, you will always see something that's decent and cheap."
Irrigated pasture
Centre pivot irrigation, installed for the dairy operation, was used on paddocks set aside to fatten steers and heifers.
They were turned off at a minimum 300-kilogram carcase weight, to a top of 340-350kg.
"We have all the infrastructure there, from when we ran a dairy herd, now we've just changed it to run beef cattle," he said.
Mr Eldridge said he tried to stick with Angus, as they offered a premium and options for later sale.
"We don't buy rubbish, we buy better quality cattle as quality always sells," he said.
Lessons learned from running a dairy herd had been translated to the beef operation.
A large part of the farm was oversown each year with annuals and perennial grasses.
"We can still grow a lot of grass in the spring, we hit it with pasture booster and last year we cut 500 rolls of silage and 400 rolls of hay," he said.
"Just because you're running beef doesn't mean you can't have your pastures up to scratch - if you haven't got your pastures up to scratch, you can't run your numbers.
"It might cost you $10-12,000 in seed, but you get that back three fold in carrying capacity, through spring.'
"We can grow more grass than clover, so we stick to the annuals."
No dogs were used on the property.
'We treat beef cattle, just like we did the dairy cattle," he said.
"We move them between paddocks regularly, they are quiet and we don't have too many problems.
"You just have to take your time with them, you don't upset them.
"Once you get them fired up, you can't win, they will beat you every time."