After 35 years running a Poll Hereford cattle stud at Westwood, Bruce and Katrina Archer are selling their stud stock in readiness for semi-retirement.
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The Archers are holding the sale on site at Chester on Monday, with 106 stud cows and calves and 44 yearling heifers on offer.
After a successful career in farming, Bruce and Katrina Archer are taking a step back from the farm to make way for their sons Andrew and Sam.
“The boys have taken over management of the property,” Mr Archer said.
“Their passions lie with prime lambs, cropping and commercial cattle breeding. We have decided to sell the Chester Poll Hereford stud herd and the boys will continue to run a commercial herd,” he said.
The Archer family has been working with two advisers over the past seven years to develop and implement a succession plan for Chester.
Until 18 months ago their daughter Josie Archer had been running the Chester stud, but has now moved to Milton Vineyard, just north of Swansea on the East Coast, to join her partner Henry Dunbabin.
“It’s quite exciting to have our children take over,” Mr Archer said.
“They’ve had a good experience [at Chester], but they enjoy having their dad around,” Mrs Archer said.
Chester is a mixed enterprise with cattle, sheep and cropping, set on just over 2000 hectares at Meander Valley.
Andrew and Sam Archer’s commercial focus means Chester will continue to finish a 400-strong herd of heifers and steers for Woolworths.
The Archers started breeding stud Poll Hereford cattle with Bruce’s brother Richard Archer under the Quamby Plains prefix in 1973.
Chester showed and sold bulls under the Quamby Plains prefix until 2005, when the Archers started the Chester prefix.
Chester and Quamby Plains have still purchased sires together and run a combined annual bull sale for the past 34 years.
Planning this dispersal sale for the past 12 months has given the Archers an opportunity to wind down slowly.
“Katrina and I have thoroughly enjoyed the stud, but it’s time to sell,” Mr Archer said.
The sale has attracted wide-spread interest, with a busload of interested buyers coming from Armidale in New South Wales and phone inquiries from Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Inspections are held on Sunday at Chester, between 12pm and 4pm, with the sale on Monday from 12.30pm.
Chester will hold its final bull sale on April 30, 2018.