Driven by data, fuelled by Angus
The commercial focus is what drives operations and strategy at The Sisters Pastoral Co.
Located in South West Victoria, The Sisters Pastoral Co is a family owned and operated business, breeding commercial Angus cattle.
Operated by James and Georgie Knight, The Sisters Pastoral is run over three properties, covering 2,200 hectares where 1,600ha is a perennial pasture-based system in a rainfall belt of 660 to 710mm annually.
The Sisters Angus story started in the 1990s, when Georgie’s father moved into the breed after purchasing heifers from Glenavon Angus in the New South Wales New England region. Originally operating in the bullock market with an end market of niche steak in Melbourne, the adoption of Angus into the operation also saw a transition into the feeder steer market.
“I think if you were to speak to my father-in-law about that transition to Angus, he was actually seeing a swing across to Angus and that they had a market advantage,” said James Knight.
“I think as he moved into Angus in the mid ’90s, he was actually seeing a significant market shift and that he saw a real benefit in going that way.”
Fast forward to 2024, the operation is now joining 1,650 Angus females each year, with all the progeny produced taken through to 400-500kglwt.
Taking over the operation following time away in Melbourne working in corporate agriculture, James and Georgie are very driven on precision and incremental improvement when it comes to the management of their herd and overall operations.
“I’m very data and evidence-focused in our decision-making, and that’s where everything starts,” said James.
“What was really important when we first came back was to set up a system that was efficient and scalable.
“We knew we had the right animals, or after getting some feedback on our livestock, we realised we had the right animals, and they were the right breed. It was then about using data and evidence to grow the business, turn the volume up, and do things better – which still continues today.”
In order to achieve their goals and the improvements they would like to see in their business, James said, “We use a raft of strategies, procedures, and philosophies, to get to where we’ve got today.”
When they entered the business, the Knights focused on increasing the stocking rate of the operation, which called for a need to adapt their management practices to ensure that the increase was done sustainably for their country and pastures.
“When we came to the business, it was running a reasonable stocking rate. We just essentially looked at areas that we could improve,” said James.
“We would have seen stocking rate move 40% since we’ve come home. How did we do that? Pasture management is key in this game. Our main aim as business managers is to put grass in front of animals, which leads to increased production.”
The Knights described this as an intensive grazing strategy, summarising what this means for their management of their animals and country.
“The system is quite intensive from a stocking rate point of view,” said James. “Everything is put under a fair bit of pressure during winter, with the key profit driver being midwinter stocking rate or stocking rate which equates to kilos of beef per hectare. If we drill down on that further, our key focus is utilising as much pasture as we can in spring to meet the kilos of beef per hectare target.
“I think to this day we’re still working on that key focus on how we incrementally run more breeders and weaners per hectare and actually do it better.
“Whether that’s with more animals per hectare or better animal performance, particularly the 250kg weaner through to a 450kg feeder animal. How do we do that more productively, but also making sure
we’re profitable at the same time while being able to scale it.”
With the emphasis on consistently trying to make improvements year in year out, the Knights utilise feedback on their cattle as an important element of their breeding strategy and decision-making process.
“We’ve been entering the Teys Australia Beef Spectacular Feedlot Trial since
2017. We’ve been very fortunate in that they give us some amazing feedback,
and you get to spend some time with leading producers that are pushing things,” said James.
“That feedback has been fundamental to where we’ve got to today. It’s just cementing to me that we need to keep tweaking the system and making sure we maintain the growth and carcase characteristics that lead to profit at the other end of the supply chain.”
The Knights enter their cattle into the competition as they are run in their commercial conditions, highlighting that none are genomically tested, nor have any scan data prior to entering the trial.
James continued, “You’re up against people that have scanned and genomically tested their animals, which is great. What’s been great for us in that feedback trial is that we actually have a weight specification to meet, something like 360kg minimum delivered in August, which is a hard target for us in this system to meet.
“What’s been great for us is that we’re actually only looking at a very small percentage of animals that are in that weight bracket to send to the feedlot trial,” he said. “From a random selection point of view and being able to win the feedlot trial as many times as we have, it’s a real credit to what my father-in-law has done over the years as far as the herd goes. The challenge for myself, Georgie and the team is maintaining that performance for the next 40 years.”
The Knights utilise this feedback to build on the information utilised to make selection and management decisions.
“I think we can be more prescriptive on the pasture base and soil fertility, and it’ll only lead to one thing, and that’s big bottom line increases in profits that will come from increased kilos of beef from growing more grass.
“Getting feedback on the cattle, benchmarking and really drilling into the numbers when we came back, was right up there as priorities.”
The Knights have adapted a spring calving period for their production system, increasing their herd from 730 breeders when they first returned in 2017, to now joining 1,650 females annually.
Each year, heifers are fixed time artificially inseminated (AI’d) to high indexing sires, with cows joined from the 25th of October for a six-week period.
The Knights work to consistently improve and maintain excellence in their female herd, trying to ensure they are breeding the best possible animal for their and the supply chain’s needs.
“As we’ve expanded reasonably aggressively since we’ve come back, a lot of the heifers have come along for the journey with us,” said James.
“We are looking for a fertile, functional cow herd that has strong growth and carcase characteristics.
“That is why we’re in Angus and why we choose Angus genetics. Not only for superior market access, but we have an Angus cow that, to my mind, is close to
elite. There are little things we need to tweak, but she is essentially one of the most resilient, marketable, and functional females that I think you can find. That’s why we’re in that space and why we take those Angus genetics seriously.”
All progeny produced at The Sisters Pastoral are brought through to 400 to 500kg, with the steer progeny destined for the feedlot market, where a number of them are put on feed for 140 days. Furthermore, a percentage of the steer progeny are entered into longer 240–270-day programs, set for the export market.
With the end markets in mind, the Knights select their genetics for their operation accordingly.
“We seem to be using more and more information annually, but I think we are quite disciplined on key attributes we’re looking for in those EBVs being good growth and carcase, and a spread from 600 day to mature cow weight,” said James.
“We’re focusing more closely on IMF than we ever have, however the last thing we want to do is focus on IMF to the point where we start to run down other EBVs.”
Regarding their sire selections, James said “We put a lot of work into bull purchases each year. We’re buying approximately 12 bulls a year as replacements for the bull team of 40-45 head.
“My father-in-law plays a key role in bull and genetic selection. What he’s particularly good at is the phenotypic stuff that we look for in a bull. That’s where we are headed first and foremost, before any other figures. Buying a bull that is actually going to be functional and fertile in a commercial system and going to have longevity.
“I think if there’s anything that we’ve got to protect in this generation, or that concerns me, is we’ve got to make sure the strong herd we inherited, or were fortunate enough to take on, we can see those attributes carry on for the next 40 years.”
With the continued legacy of quality cattle from their operation a strong sentiment in their breeding objectives, James said, “Another big focus of ours at the moment is bull longevity and really diving into the numbers on that. If my father-in-law has taught me anything, it’s that our progeny and what we sell has to add value to the rest of the supply chain. We’re very focused on making sure there’s value for others post farmgate.”
In order to increase efficiencies within their business, the Knights are adopters of technological innovations to assist with the day-to-day farm management.
“There’s a lot of platforms, including software that give me my day-to-day farm management reports, production, profit and loss, cash flow. They’re becoming pivotal in capturing data on an annual basis.
“When we have really tough years like we are this year, in quite tight autumns and winters, we’re able to reflect or look back on evidence-based actual numbers and make meaningful decisions at critical times.
“From a farm-level day-to-day point of view, we have invested money in infrastructure, water monitoring, in paddock weighing, fence monitoring, in-yard technology – for things like weighing, scanning, auto dosing – that have just helped the business do more with less labour and scale up easier.”
Within their business, the Knights have identified areas of challenge in animal husbandry, environment and management.
“From an animal husbandry point of view, there is no doubt that pink eye is definitely a leading issue. We’ve done a lot of work in that space and continue today using custom vaccines, addressing copper and selenium and other things that we’re deficient in.
“Other challenges are environmental influences, and that’s not just climate. We’re in an incredibly reliable environment down here. What I have learnt this year is when it doesn’t quite go to plan and you run at a decile one rainfall year to date such as we are at the moment, the wheels can fall off quite quickly. That’s been a great learning.”
Speaking somewhat of best laid plans, James said, “Other than that, there are
at times where some of the challenges come from management. It’s when you thought you could do one thing, but it doesn’t turn out how you thought it would turn out.”
In a reflection of his life as someone immersed in the agricultural industry, James feels fortunate to be in a role that through work and effort you can achieve your goals, no matter the size.
“My favourite thing about my job is that farming can be and is incredibly rewarding,” said James.
“We’re not very good in agriculture at giving ourselves a pat on the back, but I think as I get older it’s important to reflect on those small wins that you have. It is rewarding putting a plan in place, executing it, and seeing the result at the other end.
“There can also be some incredibly dark times where things don’t work out the way that you thought they would work out, but it’s definitely a very rewarding job. I’m incredibly proud of the family and the team we’ve got at the moment and the increase in size of the business today to where we started.
“I would have actually never dreamed we’d get to where we’ve got to today, but it’s a credit to all the fantastic people that we have around us that help us make the decisions and support us in the business. It’s just been a bloody fantastic journey.”
– Cheyne Twist, Senior Marketing & Communication Officer
