Warrnambool's business and farming community is in mourning after the shock death of leading car dealer and stud principal Clinton Baulch.
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The 48-year-old died at his Illowa home on Monday night.
He ran the Clinton Baulch Motor Group and the Jaclinton Hereford stud, Illowa, as well as being heavily involved in local sport.
Mr Baulch and his family moved from Bendigo to take over what was then Gleeson Motors in Warrnambool in 2007.
In 2009, the family set up the Jaclinton Beef 'our paddock, your plate' program, after Mr Baluch's connection with cattle, and Poll Herefords in particular.
He was raised on the Wollbull stud, Bostocks Creek, near Camperdown, where his father was the groom for more than 30 years.
"It became a natural love for them, and showing them and everything that goes with it," Mr Baulch said in an interview with Stock & Land back in 2020.
"It was always something that was close to my heart."
After leaving school and having a stint as a dairy farmer, he stumbled into working in car dealerships.
The home farm comprises around 50 hectares at Illowa and about 120 hectares of leased country near the Warrnambool Airport.
The long-term goal for the beef operation was intrinsically linked to the core business of supplying seedstock to clients within the beef industry.
The program involved buying back steers from the stud's bull clients, processing them, packing and marketing the product.
Mr Baulch said the program gave the stud's bull clients another avenue for their steers and a better return on the product their clients were producing.
He said the aim was to make Jaclinton a brand that beef producers could see value in.
The producers had the advantage of being able to sell their stock under the Jaclinton Beef Co brand, they could budget on a fixed price and receive a better return on their investment.
"It works well for the farmer and works well for me as the seedstock supplier," he said.
"My return is people in the long term seeing that they can spend a little bit more on a Jaclinton bull where they can see a better return in the end," he said.
He said if they sold 30 steers a year by a bull and made an extra $300-$400 an animal, it was a worthwhile venture.
Product was sold through a number of restaurants in Warrnambool and online sales of boxed beef.
Mr Baulch is survived by his wife Jacquie and two children.
